Once more around the Bend
by TheLemonsWillSeeYou
Summary: Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort, what was his payment? He got kicked out of the Wizarding world! They tried to bind his magic and it backfired, so what has Harry been doing the past 15 years since his escape from that world, and what happens when he gets a chance to take another trip around the bend? Time Travel Story, some bashing. Grey!Harry Independant!Harry. OOC.
1. Chapter 1

"You really think this is a good idea?" a soft feminine voice asked as she gazed over the night sky.

"Who cares, we are getting paid and a hefty sum in case you forgot." A harsh tone replied as the owner shrugged carelessly as he aligned his scope.

"Of course I didn't forget… still… she's just a kid, man you sure you want that blood on your hands?" The firsts tone was more worried now, concern seemingly out of place for her.

*BANG* the shot rang through the city and bounced off the many buildings as the sound of a window cracking and a multitude of screams spread into the air.

The shooter shrugged again as he stood up and shouldered his rifle before inspecting his handiwork "My hands are already stained, what difference does a few more drops make. Adult or child, blood weighs the same, love"

"You're a sick son of a bitch, Ace, you know that?" The woman stated more than asked as she fell into step with her partner.

"Fuck me. You _just_ figured that out now, Vanessa?" The shooter "Ace" asked in return of his longtime partner and friend.

"Maybe later Ace, for now let's collect some payment." Vanessa teased as she strutted ahead of him, hips swaying seductively.

"Whatever fits you best." Ace replied with a shrug, though his eyes followed that amazing ass all the way.

The two quickly made their way down from the roof and back into the darkness of the streets of London. Ace helped himself freely to any exposed wallet they might pass by, he must have made away with a few thousand pounds tonight.

"You are getting paid 10 million pounds for this and yet you are nicking wallets?" Vanessa asked in a ridiculed tone.

Ace shrugged before shifting through his newest acquired wallet. "I'm only seeing 2 million of those 10 you know that, and those 2 already have a place they need to go so what is wrong with me grabbing some spending money?"

"I swear if you shrug one more time Ace I will kick you so hard in the nuts that you will taste your future kids!" Vanessa half yelled at her partner, his constant shrugging was grating on her nerves.

"Sheeze calm down, you know I can't help it." Ace defended as he raised his hands in the universal sign of defeat.

"I swear if I meet this "Albus" character I am going to make him eat his staff!" Vanessa growled into the night.

"For the eleventh billion two thousand and thirty five point fifth time Vanessa, wizards don't fucking use staffs! Mages does, get your facts fucking straight if you are going to insult us." Ace corrected his partner with a low hiss, much like his shrugging annoyed her. He was annoyed when she constantly got facts about the wizarding world wrong.

"Well excuse _me_ mister fucking "Boy-Who-Lived" Harry "Ass over tit" Potter! I forgot you are our resident expert on the matter!" Vanessa yelled into his face.

"Would you stop calling me that? I gave up that name years ago… also perhaps we should stop yelling before I have to memory wipe an entire street… _again._" Ace chided as he poked her in the chest with a pointed finger before using his thumb to indicate to the rest of the street.

"Whoopsy… sorry Ace… I just hate that entire world after what they did to you…" Vanessa replied with a grin on her face that betrayed how little she cared.

"I got over it. Not like they managed to do anything to me before I split." Ace replied with a small smile of his own.

"Something about you being a Mage wasn't it?" Vanessa questioned as her eyes closed for a moment to recall the memory.

"Yeah… a regular Wizard or Witch just needs a wand to channel their magical energy, a Mage or Sorceress needs a staff or something of equal measure to ensure they don't blow up half their current area with a simple spell because of too much power." Ace explained once more, it still sounded farfetched to him even to this day.

"In your case it turned out to be that beauty on your back." Vanessa stated with a knowing nod.

Ace gave a sly grin as he adjusted the large black sniper on his back, that little baby was a Mage-MK1 sniper rifle. A little something Ace had built a few years ago when he *ahem* left, the wizarding world. He had built it to replace the staff he had to leave behind… well the small pieces he did leave behind; the Silver Phoenix feather that had made up the core of his staff was currently the core piece of his Sniper.

"Yep, she is the reason I am the best in the business." Ace said with an ear splitting grin.

"She is also the reason you aren't using any of that hard earned money on ammo… bloody unfair if you ask me." Vanessa grumbled as she halfheartedly kicked a pebble on the sidewalk.

"Hey don't hate on me just because you were born a Normy and can't have a bad ass sniper that shoots Magical self-vanishing bullets." Ace replied in a fake superior tone that he remembered from some of his old "friends" in the Wizarding world.

"Yeah… no thank you, if being a Witch means eventually being thrown head first out of my own world and then have my eye taken in payment…" Vanessa began but stopped herself as she breached a topic neither of them were very comfortable about.

Ace stiffened slightly as he reached up and ran a hand over the black eye patch that was currently hiding the gaping hole that used to hold his left eye.

Ace shrugged to himself as he forced the anger away "I got the fucker who did it to me, fair trade if you ask me."

"I'm still saying you let this "Ron" guy off too easily, I mean he betrayed you didn't he? And all he got for it was a bullet through the head… I would at least have taken his bits or something…" Vanessa's smile turned creepy when she began talking about taking people's bits…

Ace let out a shudder at the thought. "What's with you and threatening people's bits?"

"They are a nice squishy target." Vanessa stated with a shrug of her own.

"Oi! Shrugging is my thing!" Ace yelled with a mock pout.

The raspberries were not unexpected but there were was no time to respond, they had arrived at their destination. A small pub down in central London. A quaint little place called "Where the world Ends" which was fairly famous for being a gathering place of mercenaries and hit-men should you need one.

"Ace and Vanessa, the usual?"

The barkeep Tom, yes _that_ Tom, called out to them and got two nods in response. The old Wizard had retired from the leaky cauldron when he saw Harry get chased out through his doors; he wasn't going to watch both the greatest sin Wizarding Britain was committing and its aftermath.

The two before mentioned guests took their regular seat at one corner of the small pub and awaited both their drinks and their employer.

"Ale for Vanessa and an Old Rusty for Ace." Tom announced as he sat the two drinks down and gave each of his old friends a smile.

"Thanks Tom. How's everything been?" Ace asked as he took a healthy swig of his drink.

"Oh just fine Ace, you know this place is sacred ground." Tom replied with a knowing glint in his eyes.

Vanessa couldn't hold in the snort as she remembered what happened to the last guy that forgot, "Yeah like anyone is going to forget after you blew a hole through Trickster's head."

"Now, now Vanessa you know I don't condone violence." Tom chided though he sounded thoroughly sarcastic.

"Of course not Tom." Vanessa agreed with a nod that led into her taking her first sip.

With a smile, the elderly wizard returned to his bartending duties leaving the two behind to their small talk and enjoyable silence.

At least it was enjoyable until a suit walked through the door and looked to be so tightly winded up that if someone let one loose he might jump five feet in the air. The suit quickly located the two in the corner and shuffled over to them and sat down across from them and placed a rather bulky suit case on the table

"I trust everything was done to order?" The suit asked as his head kept darting around in fear.

"No need for the secrecy, Suit. Yeah the kid is dead and they won't be able to tell you asked me to pull the trigger." Ace informed the lackey of his employer as he tossed a foot on the table.

With a gulp and a nod, the Suit turned around the briefcase and opened it up to reveal the rather hefty sum of ten million pounds in large bills. A remarkable sight for any mercenary.

"As we agreed." The suit stated. He was looking ready to hurl the more he sat still.

"Indeed we did. Leave the briefcase and get out of here, I can smell you're about to piss yourself." Vanessa barked as she kicked the bottom of the suit's chair causing the frightened man to stand up.

The Suit almost ran out of the pub. A ripple of laughter echoed through the pub quickly followed by a cheer as Vanessa held up a wad of bills and yelled "Next round on me!"

It was customary that when someone got a big job done they would buy a round for whoever was at the pub at the time; it helped keep up some semblance of comradely between them all.

Ace quickly separated the money into three piles, five million for Vanessa, Two million for himself and three million for Tom. The three million going to Tom was a good agreement the two had together, Tom kept Ace's real identity and location a secret from everyone and in return Ace paid for every renovation or other small need the pub might suddenly find itself in need of.

"So Ace… how about we go celebrate?" Vanessa asked in a sultry tone as she placed a wad of bills between her shapely breasts.

The grin on Ace face was predatory and Vanessa knew just what that meant, she was going to be walking funny tomorrow. She loved walking funny.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

**Next Morning**

It was with a loud yawn that Ace sat up in his king sized bed and stared groggily out the window and listened to the birds' happy singing

"…fucking birds… fucking sun… fucking morning…"

Ace kept mumbling and growling all the way from his bed to the bathroom and kept it up through his shitting and didn't even stop when he took a shower, he was still going strong when he hit the kitchen and began brewing some much needed coffee.

A few heavy gulps of his mug and the muttering slowly declined to small growls here and there as Ace managed to lean himself in a way that let the sun hit his one good eye head on.

"Well aren't you a bucket of sunshine this fine morning." Vanessa beamed from the doorway as she practically glided into the room.

The statement was greeted with a two-fingered salute and another few mumbled curse words in regards to Vanessa's unending cheeriness in the morning.

"I know something better you could do with those two fingers." Vanessa teased as she shook her bum at Ace.

"You are walking funnily enough already, no need to make you a cripple for the day" Ace replied offhandedly as he lazily flicked his hand through the air.

"Hoh? Someone thinks highly of his skills." Vanessa tested.

"Someone got verbal confirmation of those skills last night." Ace countered.

Vanessa chuckled slightly as she raised a hand "Guilty, now stand aside my exquisite boy-toy, mama needs her liquid gold."

With an exaggerated bow Ace moved to the side and allowed her access to the brewer before sitting himself down at the table only to let out a growl as he realized he had forgotten to pick up the paper. A few long steps followed by equally long swear words saw Ace out to the door and back again, now with the paper in hand and already opened up to the first few pages.

"Anything interesting this morning?" Vanessa asked as she sat down opposite her lover.

Ace ripped out a few pages and handed them over the table, they mostly contained articles he didn't care about and the fashion section. Vanessa took them with a smile and glanced over the leading article…

_**Crown Princess killed:  
Britain in deep mourning**_

"Front page again, Ace." Vanessa stated with a small applause.

"I don't know what they are making such a big deal for; she was only 8 so what's the problem. Not like she had done much living." Ace grumbled as he stared at the headline.

Vanessa rolled her eyes before sticking her head back down into her articles. "I don't think they care as much about her being "only" 8 and perhaps more with the fact that she still had a long life ahead of her… people are usually sad when young people die because they still had their entire lives ahead of them."

Ace shrugged as he kept reading his part of the paper. "Protect her better then, not my bloody fault that they allowed the crown princess to play right in front of a fucking 10 meter tall window that was facing a fifty story building."

Vanessa just nodded her consent, she hated killing children but was firmly of the mind that if someone wanted their children to survive then perhaps not place them somewhere that would allow such an easy kill.

"So what is on the agenda today?" she asked over the rim of her paper.

Ace rubbed the back of his head in thought for a few moments as he continued to look through the articles

"Not much. Look through the new job offers, a bit more sex, sleep some more I guess and then perhaps finish up with a movie." he suggested.

"Sounds like a plan."

Ace nodded in agreement but didn't give a verbal reply as a certain article had caught his attention… and kept it for an unusual amount of time, something Vanessa noted which prompted her to move around the table and look over his shoulder to read

_**Lord Harry James Potter declared dead  
after missing for 15 years**_

The article went on to describe how after fifteen years of the young lord being missing he was finally being declared dead and as such his properties and holdings would go to his next of kin, in lack of any such thing the various assets would be turned over to the government.

"Well to be fair I expected them to do it sooner…" Ace muttered as he traced a finger of the headline.

"You aren't mad?" Vanessa questioned, after all she would be.

"Why would I be? Harry Potter died fifteen years ago just as the article suggests." Ace explained.

"You know you never actually told me just why being a Mage got you kicked out…" Vanessa said as she pulled Ace in for an embrace.

"Because they were afraid mostly, Mage and Sorceresses are extremely rare and only a handful has been seen since Merlin and Morgana. After I took care of their dark lord I guess they feared I might become one myself so they "kicked me out" as I am so fond of saying." Ace relayed the small part of his history he wasn't that comfortable with.

"Which as you have explained means that they tried to bind your magic and wipe your memories?" Vanessa said with a questioning gaze.

"Yes and as you were once an engineer you can of course tell me when you put a weak dam in front of a raging river." Ace agreed with a nod.

"It collapses." Vanessa deadpanned.

"And in my case sends an explosion of magic out that blew up half our government and resulted in me being hunted by every Willie capable of wielding a wand." Ace said with a loud sigh.

Vanessa promptly planted herself on Ace's lap and continued looking over the attached articles that covered just what regular Britain knew about their most recently deceased Lord.

"Well I guess I should thank them, I would never have met you if they hadn't done it." Vanessa tried on a more cheerful note.

"I could have lived with not losing my left eye thank you very much… but I guess you are right. Living without you wouldn't be as much fun." Ace concurred as he pulled her a little closer.

A quick kiss showed that Ace had managed that one perfectly and now perhaps he would need to screw up slightly more if he was to lose his chance at getting their second round underway.

The two lovers continued their breakfast and let their morning slowly run its course which led Vanessa into the bathroom for her shower _'Well an hour of freedom, what to do, what to do'_ ran through Ace's head as Vanessa took notoriously long showers.

His musing was cut off when a pop sounded through his living room and heralded the arrival of a Wizard whom was just so incredibly stupid as to apparate into his apartment… he or she was going to regret that.

"Avada Kedavra!" a familiar voice screamed.

Ace recognized that attempt at a killing curse and slowly turned around to stare at whoever had attempted to do magic here inside his lovely apartment. Said person was currently standing in shock and staring down at their wand trying to figure out why the spell didn't appear.

"Having a wee bit of trouble there are we?" Ace teased as he saw the attempted attacker look at her wand in fear.

"You! What did you do?!" the assailant screeched in a manner befitting her mother-in-law.

"Me? I'm sorry but you not just apparate into _my home_ and try to shoot _me_ with a killing curse? I think a more appropriate question would be "What the hell are _you_ doing?" care to answer?" Ace flipped the question right around again.

The assailant realized that spells wouldn't work so this person threw themself at Ace hoping to catch him off guard and perhaps kill him with their bare hands… *snort* yeah that was going to work, of course it was!

Ace side stepped the attempt fairly easily and used silent wandless magic to both freeze his assailant and stop them in their tracks so they wouldn't fly into his expensive oak dinner table.

"You know for the supposed "brightest witch of our age" you really are stupid sometimes, what are you doing here Granger? If you are here for revenge over Weasley then I must disappoint you as that won't be happening, though I would love to learn how you found me." With the wave of his hand Hermione Granger found herself flung into a sofa by Ace's banishing spell and then the paralyzes spell was partially lifted so she could speak.

"You filthy murderer!" she screamed and looked like she was charging up for another triad.

And the spell was back in place as Ace rubbed his eyes tiredly and began grumbling obscenities to keep himself from physically striking Granger.

"Ace what the hell is going on out here?" Vanessa yelled as she came out of the bathroom, a towel strung around her midsection.

Vanessa rounded the corner into the living room and saw Ace sitting in his chair in one end of the living room and a woman she had only seen pictures of in the past sitting paralyzed in the sofa.

"Not that I mind the visage of you in a wet towel but you are dripping on the floor. Also Miss Granger here tried to kill me." Ace informed his lovely partner.

"Oh did she now? I'll be right back!" Vanessa declared as she ripped the towel off her body and marched, loudly, into the bathroom again to dry off and find some clothing.

Back in the living room Ace gave Granger and mild look of pity that clearly conveyed the message "She is not happy with you" of course Granger being Granger she simply scoffed to herself.

"So do you want to try again Granger? How did you find me, and I swear if you yell again I will throw you ass first into the nearest dog impound butt naked and covered in dog pheromones." Ace threatened with the worst thing his morning mind could think of.

Hermione Granger was the smartest witch of her generation and certainly knew it, which is also why she knew that the man in front of her was not her old friend turned enemy, Harry Potter and that this man would actually make good on his threat so when the spell was lifted she took a deep breath.

"I used a combination of tracking spells and rituals to pinpoint your location." she muttered through gritted teeth.

Ace saw how much it pained the woman to disclose just how she had managed to find him because it ensured that it would not happen again, also Ace was mighty pissed that he had actually missed some spells that would allow him to be tracked.

"Well at least you are living up to your title… though seriously Hermione, what possessed you to come here and try to kill me? Surely you must know what I have been doing for the past fifteen years?" Ace asked in curiosity.

Ace saw how her face slowly turned a shade of pink as the truth was revealed… she had not known what his current occupation was and she had most likely spent those fifteen years trying to find a way to locate him.

At that moment Vanessa walked into the room wearing a set of casual clothes which consisted of a pair of very short denim shorts and a pure white t-shirt. She sat down in the sofa next to the one that held Hermione and then quickly glanced over at Ace who, with a quick Legilimency spell, conveyed what had transpired as she got dressed.

She then turned her gaze on Hermione and stared at her with a ridiculous expression.

"You came here and tried to kill him without knowing just what he has become? Woman you are utterly insane!" Vanessa declared.

Hermione's eyes widened at the lightness of the woman's tone and looked between the two other occupants of the room and silently begged for an explanation. Something Vanessa was only happy to provide.

"Okay girly listen good. The man you know as Harry Potter died fifteen years ago when you idiots chased him out, the man sitting in front of you is Ace, the best god damn hit-man in all of Europe. This is the man you just tried to off, count your lucky stars that we just woke up or odds were that Ace would have been carrying a gun which means your brain would have been splattered over the floor right now." Vanessa explained with a few hand motions going between herself, Ace and Hermione.

Hermione paled and began shaking as the implications hit her and she realized that perhaps she should have done a bit more studying on what Harry had been up to in the years rather than focusing solely on a way to find him and rely on the belief that surely he couldn't have become more dangerous after fifteen years of being unable to do magic… fuck was she wrong huh?

"So Hermione do enlighten me what your grand scheme was, I mean aside from killing me which would have put a price on your head that is." Ace demanded.

"I-I-I-I…" the supposed brightest witch of her age muttered.

"Was she this stupid while you attended that wizarding school as well?" Vanessa questioned after a while

"You told her about Hogwarts?!" Hermione screeched.

Ace and Vanessa were both surprised by Hermione's sudden outburst and Ace just nodded in reply and saw her head slowly shifting from embarrassed pink to angry red.

"But that's against the law and the statue of secrecy! How could you do that?! What if she tells anyone?!" Hermione yelled as her face turned redder.

"Ever the good girl huh Granger? Who gives a shit about the statue? No one would believe her if she told anyone about the wizarding world, she only believed me after I showed her some actual magic." Ace commented as he flicked the invisible dust speck off his shoulder.

Hermione began spluttering and foaming at the mouth in anger as Ace kept revealing how many of the wizarding secrecy laws he had broken. It was quite amusing for her two captors to witness and they openly laughed as she blabbered incoherent nonsense.

"… believe you would do that! Well good think I have a contingency plan!" Hermione declared triumphantly.

That last bit caught both their attention as they both tried to react to whatever Hermione might be doing but Ace wasn't quick enough with sealing her mouth with the paralyzes spell again and whatever spell she muttered began taking effect and Hermione's entire body began glowing

"Oh shit, she going to…"

Those were the last words Vanessa ever spoke and the last words Ace heard before an ear rending explosion ripped through their bodies and turned them into a fine red mist… alongside creating a crater the size of a city block.

* * *

**Chapter Revised 27/12-2015**

**A/N: Hmm yeah… don't expect this just come flying out chapter wise, I'm not sure if I want to continue with this but I figured I could post the first chapter and sort of get peoples opinion. If, **_**if **_** I do end up doing this then there definently is a plot in the works and it won't be the longest of fics ever. **

**Some Time-Travel with a twist or two in the story.**

**Will have M rating for language and adult situations**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	2. Chapter 2

Ace sat up and rubbed his ears as a bit of phantom pain remained from when his eardrums had shattered moments before he had become a fine red mist that was probably floating around in London right now.

A quick look around revealed that he was in a long white corridor that seemingly went on for an eternity and he quickly summarized everything in his head and came to on singular conclusion.

"Well fuck me, I'm dead." Ace announced to no one.

"Astute observation Mr. Potter." A female voice deadpanned from above him.

Rather than turning around to find the origin of the voice Ace laid down and used his now lying position to look into the eyes of the woman that had spoken.

She looked to be somewhere be a good 1.8-2 meters tall with blonde hair and brown eyes and tanned skin, a healthy looking young woman if Ace had to say anything… and pink panties with red hearts on them, cute.

"If you are quite done staring up my skirt Mr. Potter then we have somewhere to be." Said the woman.

Ace sat up with a sulk before standing completely and brushing himself off which revealed to him that he was wearing a pair of white training pants and matching t-shirt, no shoes though.

"So where am I?" Ace finally asked.

"The Afterlife if that wasn't clear." The woman deadpanned.

Ace snorted before declaring "No really? I thought this was Disneyland!"

The woman rolled her eyes before turning and beginning to walk. Ace quickly realized that he needed to follow and fell into step with her as they walked down the long hallway until they came upon a door with a sign on it.

**John Constantine  
Senior Soul Manager**

"John Constantine… isn't he like a comic book character?" Ace muttered to himself as he rubbed his chin.

The woman gave a small smile before she opened the door and gently pushed Ace inside and then closed the door soundly behind him.

Ace took in the room and realized it was boring as all hell as there was nothing in here aside from a glass desk with a black chair in front of it and a white chair behind it. The white chair was turned around but Ace could see a pair of legs covered in what looked like a pair tuxedo pants and a set of freshly polished black shoes.

"Sit down Mr. Potter; we have a bit to talk about." A familiar male voice said.

Shrugging to himself Ace sat down in the black chair and when he realized it could turn around, began spinning mindlessly until he heard the sound of the other chair turning around. He stopped his own turning, looked upon the man, and was surprised to find Keanu Reeves in a black tuxedo sitting and staring at him.

"I'm sorry for this but… what the fuck?!" Ace exclaimed loudly.

The man didn't seem to take offense and smiled warmly at Ace before he began shuffling through some files in front of him that Ace could have sworn appeared out of nothing.

"I take it my appearance surprises you?" Keanu-replica asked.

"Well that and the name, yeah" Ace agreed.

"Both were merely chosen for your convenience, to make you deal better with speaking with me" Keanu-replica stated.

Calming down slightly Ace sat a bit straighter and gave the man another once over.

"Well then who are you to be specific?" Ace asked.

Looking up the man gave a smile "Well my real name you couldn't pronounce so we will go with John, and as the sign says I'm the senior soul manager of the afterlife, I deal with some of the more important souls throughout history"

"Ookay… so what you dealt with Hitler?" Ace asked lamely.

John gave a slight nod "I did though I am not at liberty to discuss the current status of other souls."

"Fair enough, so what are we going to be talking about?" Ace asked in curiosity as he looked around the office.

"Well first off I must congratulate you on dying to a poorly planned magical explosion that, in all seriousness, shouldn't have killed you." John didn't sound like he was congratulating him.

Ace snorted loudly before shaking his head

"I didn't think Granger actually dared to kill herself just to take me down, did she really love Weasley that much?"

John shook his head "No she did not. Mr. Weasley had gotten her pregnant and she lost the child due to stress shortly after Mr. Weasley's death. She blamed you."

"Of course she did…" Ace grumbled.

"But let us not dwell on that little fact. I am here to discuss your rebirth." John stated as he pulled out a set of papers from his desk.

"Rebirth? You mean I have to go through a new life?" Ace asked in a slightly worried tone.

"No, that would be reincarnation. Rebirth means that I am sending your soul back to your younger body." John explained courtly.

"What?! Oh come on why would you do that? I mean I know I have killed a few kids and puppies but can't I just go to hell?" Ace practically begged. Would you want to live through his life again?

John chuckled at Ace's willingness to face eternal damnation rather than reliving his life in Hogwarts and the attached "Adventures."

"I'm afraid there is no choice Mr. Potter. You see I am sending you back both so you can fix your life but also to ensure that a certain mistake is rectified." John clarified as he shuffled around the papers he had pulled out.

Slumping slightly in his chair Ace looked into the ceiling as he mumbled "What mistake?"

"The fact that rather than destroying the last Horcrux that Mr. Riddle made you decided to transfer the soul fragment in your head to a stone and then threw that stone down into the deepest part of the sea and then kill him, thus robbing us of a soul as it is currently trapped at the bottom of the ocean." John didn't looked too happy as he explained just why they were having this meeting.

"You mean I have to go through hell on earth again because you guys are sour that I'd rather leave Tommy boy down at the bottom of the pacific instead of sending his sorry ass up here?" Ace asked with a sour look.

"A crude way to put it, but accurate none the less." John agreed with a slight nod.

"And there is no way around this?" Ace almost begged.

"Sadly not, but look on the bright side Mr. Potter, you can change anything you wish and we won't interfere, as long as Mr. Riddle's soul finds its way to us then we are content." John said as he hoped this would calm Ace down.

"Really? What if I chose to save Sirius or someone else? What about their souls?" Ace questioned.

"Mr. Potter unless you decided to somehow make them immortal then I can assure you that their souls would come to us in time, we see no harm in waiting a bit for certain souls." John explained with a deadpan expression like Ace was already supposed to know these things.

Ace thought the entire thing over and he realized that certainly there was some bonus for him in the form that he could fix a lot of the shit that happened in his life but there was one very important detail that he simply couldn't let go…

"What about Vanessa?" Ace asked with a shaky tone.

"You mean your lover? She will be placed where she belongs. Mr. Potter you might love her but you must learn to live without her as I am sending you back whatever you want to or not." John stated in a slightly harder tone.

"Then… then… fuck fine! I'll do it but expect to see some souls come flying real fast!" Ace yelled as he slammed his fist against the armrest on his chair.

"If you mean Mr. Weasley and Miss. Granger then I urge you to at least wait a few years, the two might make themselves useful in some way." John suggested.

Ace grumbled his agreement but didn't like it. There was a long list of names he wanted to take down and those two were close to the top, though Albus "too many fucking middle names" Dumbledore was squarely at the top.

"I shall send you back to the moment you arrived on King's Cross station for your first year at Hogwarts. I wish you a pleasant journey and I hope your new life will turn out better." John stated before taking a stamp and slamming it against the papers on his desk.

Ace snorted loudly "Let's see about that" as a bright light began enveloping him.

"You will retain your memories and magical abilities, I urge you to quickly acquire a staff or similar as you will need it. Also we are giving you a few tools to assist you in your job; you will know what they are when the time is right." John remarked with a dismissive hand gesture.

Ace stared at John with ridicule and threw his hands in the air as the last of his body was consumed by the light "Kiss me in the darkest par…" and then he was gone.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

**King's Cross Station**

It was like blinking… with two eyes which was weird, as Ace had gotten quite used to only having one eye. He looked around and sure enough, he was standing at King's Cross right about where Hagrid had left him way back when…

"So here I am huh…" Ace's face fell when he heard his own voice and a loud groan escaped him though with his now distinctly lighter voice it perhaps sounded more like a squeak to him.

"I'm a fucking eleven year old again… oh god I have to go through puberty again?!"

Ace didn't care that people were looking at him like he was insane, he was for all intents and purposes completely off his nutter but that wasn't the issue right now. Pulling his way to large pants forward slightly Ace looked down and he quickly released his pants and looked straight forward with a twitch slowly erupting over his left eye… he was _definitely_ eleven again.

Shaking himself out of his funk Ace began pushing his cart towards the entrance to the platform, though he hoped he could make it before the Weasley clan showed up or he feared there was going to be a blood bath.

Thankfully he arrived at the wall between the two platforms and not a redhead in sight. Not wanting to risk it Ace ran thought the wall quickly and out the other side.

His mouth twitched upwards slightly as he saw the large Hogwarts train in all its glory, it was a sight for sore eyes as Ace did have some nice memories from Hogwarts and this train was the cause of a few… or rather it's lavatory was, damn did Ginny know how to… well that is all in the past.

Ace pulled out his wand and looked at the thing with an offended sneer but he couldn't very well just start using wandless magic here in the open… for now he would fake it until he could get a staff again and then this piece of shit "Brother to Voldemort's Wand" could get thrown in the Black lake for all he cared.

Aboard the train a different problem presented itself… Ace didn't wish to sit in the same compartment because he knew just who was going to come knocking and he didn't wish to face Ron just yet. So that left the problem of finding a different compartment to spend the trip in but who to spend the trip with?

"Well I think there can be only one choice." Ace mumbled to himself as his thoughts fell on a certain girl that he had genuinely been sad to leave behind when he bailed from the Wizarding world, Nymphadora Tonks!

Quickly scanning the compartments for the soon to be seventh year Ace saw a lot of familiar faces and couldn't hide the smile as some of his old friends appeared, damn was he going to enjoy getting to know them again.

Finding the compartment he wished, Ace steeled himself for a moment before opening the compartment door and looking inside. There she sat, pink hair and matching eyes with her Hogwarts robe already on and her nose in a magazine that was surely going to be confiscated by the first teacher that saw it.

"Excuse me?" Ace said weakly.

Tonks looked up and stared at the young boy who she thought to be one of the firsties.

"Wotcher firsty." She declared with a wide grin.

"Do you mind if I crash here for the trip? I really don't want to risk sitting with some of those snobs I saw outside." Ace said, hoping to use Tonks dislike of people like Malfoy to his advantage.

Tonks smiled, she liked how the kid thought. And he seemed decent enough and she couldn't shake this feeling that she knew him somehow.

"Sure come inside kid, I'm Tonks." She announced as she gestured him inside.

Ace quickly levitated his trunk up on the rack much to Tonks surprise; he then sat down and put forward his hand.

"I'm Harry Potter but call me Ace." Ace declared proudly.

Tonks was visibly stunned when she heard his name, perhaps which was why she thought she knew him.

"You are Harry Potter?" She asked dumbfounded.

Ace's eyes squinted dangerously as he glared, he didn't like that tone.

"Yeah, what of it?" He half growled.

Tonks recoiled slightly at the harsh stare and realized her mistake.

"Sorry… I was just surprised. Didn't think I would get to see you before the sorting." She stated in an apologetic tone.

Ace shrugged it off with a grin. "Well I'm here now… got anyone else joining us in here?"

Tonks shook her head "Nah, I like to take the trip to the school alone."

Ace focused on the magazine in Tonks' hands and his eyes widened slightly as a grin spread across his features.

"Playboy Magazine? I can see why you prefer to be alone." He teased.

Tonks' hair shifted through a few colors before settling back on its previous pink hue, a small detail Ace chose to ignore as he didn't really care about Tonk's metamorphmagus abilities aside from them being a good stealth tool.

"How does an eleven year old know what Playboy is? More so how do you know?" Tonks asked suspiciously.

"Grew up with muggles, my uncle had a small stash of those magazines. Stole some when I was bored and looked at them." Ace replied with a small shrug and grin.

Tonks felt her mouth twitch upwards once more, she definitely liked Harry.

"Oh really? What's the whole "Ace" business about?" she inquired as she stuck her nose back into the magazine.

"Just a nickname, I don't really like my name as it draws too much attention." Ace explained.

"Fair enough, what house are you hoping to get in? Gryffindor like your old man or Ravenclaw like your mum?" Tonks asked.

"Oh I'm going to Ravenclaw that's for certain, the house of cannon fodder isn't really my thing and the house of dark lord butt boys isn't my scene either, I could live with being a loyal badger as you guys are cool enough but I much prefer the house of the wise." Ace commented as he ticked each house off on a finger.

Tonks was snickering when Ace had called Gryffindor for cannon fodder and she fell out of her seat when he had used that name for Slytherin, she was definitely remembering that one for later. She respected his choice through and through, even more so because he apparently realized that Hufflepuff wasn't all that bad.

Through all of it she "conveniently" forgot that Harry had grown up with muggles and wasn't supposed to know anything about the magical world, despite what the teacher that came to get him might have told him.

"So have you met any of the other firsties yet?"

Ace shook his head "Not yet and I don't particularly want to either, I saw a group of redheads on the station and one of the looked my age… only he looked to be a few cards short a full deck."

Tonks nodded in understanding "The Weasley family, good people really, but sadly not that well off financially… definitely won't be seeing any of theirs in Ravenclaw"

The two continued their chat during the entire ride and Ace was more than happy to reestablish his old friendship with his cousin, she had been a source of stability for him in these younger years and he hoped she could be it again… though perhaps this time he would like to see her with someone a bit more deserving than Remus.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

The train pulled into the station and everyone began shuffling out, Ace and Tonks were among the first as Ace needed to catch the boats and Tonks wanted to get into one of the first chariots so she could get a good seat in the great hall.

"Firsties over here, over 'ere!" Hagrids booming voice reached across the platform.

Hagrid the lovable half-giant called out to all the first years and they all duly followed to the boats where they were informed that no more than four to a boat. Ace seized the chance to get into the boat with three people that he knew had their heads on straight… well two of them did.

"Hello, I'm Susan Bones"

"I'm Padma Patil and this is my sister Parvarti Patil"

Ace smiled as the three girls introduced themselves, he hadn't had much time to get to know Padma as she had been in Ravenclaw back then and he had been in Gryffindor but he had heard good things which he had later gotten confirmed. Her sister though was a little too much of a girly girl in his books but she was a good enough person though a bit of a gossip queen. Susan bones he remembered fondly as the two had been good friends in the years leading up to him leaving the Wizarding world.

"Well I certainly picked the best boat here, three pretty girls and little me. Call me Ace." He stated with well-practiced ease.

The three girls blushed under the compliment, just the reaction Ace had expected. He might be eleven in body but his mind was certainly not and he was going to take full advantage of that fact to woo as many of the girls to his side as quickly as possible… lots of potential alibies for later.

The four had held minor conversations as they sailed towards Hogwarts but the three girls were so enthralled with the school that they couldn't really sustain a meaningful conversation for long.

Once everyone had departed the boat they were shown into the castle and soon they were waiting at the door that would lead them into the great hall where they would be sorted and their lives as Wizards and Witches would begin.

"My brothers told me we have to fight a troll for our sorting…"

That was the first words Ace heard from Ron this time around and they were as utterly stupid as he remembered them to be, of course eleven year olds being just that, eleven, many of them grew fearful but Ace just rolled his eyes and sent a reassuring smile to his three companions who smiled in return.

McGonagall soon came out and gave them all the talk about how their houses would be their family and how the point system worked as well as curfews and the like, she ended with explaining how the sorting would work which resulted in a few muted laughs at Weasley's expense as he looked like a fool for sprouting that troll nonsense.

As they entered the great hall Ace couldn't help the smile on his face… he had missed looking upon that enchanted ceiling and behold its wonders. Now here he was again and some changes were definitely coming, but perhaps it was better to deal with the sorting first.

It was with a smile that Ace listened to the sorting hat's song and realized that it was a different one than the one he had heard in his original first year… a different song each time that was certainly true.

"Abbot, Hannah!"

McGonagall called their first name and the sorting began. Ace tuned out most of the sorting as people were placed right where they were last time, he made sure to look around and focus on a few people in the room though he kept his gaze as far from Snape and Dumbledore as he could.

"Potter, Harry!"

Ace perked up slightly along with most of the hall as his name was called. With a serene smile and a bit of lightness to his walk _Harry_ approached the stool and gave McGonagall a smile before sitting down and feeling the hat placed on his head.

"_Aha here's the culprit! A Rebirth Mr. Potter? I expected better of you!_"

Harry smiled as he knew that the hat could read his mind but he was certainly surprised that it knew as much as it did… perhaps one should…

"_Come now Albinnius, you can't keep me solely responsible… I'm sure you have seen who caused all this and how do you know what a Rebirth is?_"

"_Hmm yes… the young Miss Granger was certainly disturbed I must say… and give me some credit Mr. Potter; you are not the first victim of a Rebirth to pass through Hogwarts. So what will it be Mr. Potter? Gryffindor again?_"

"_Merlin No! Ravenclaw like my mother please… this time around I'm not making myself look like an idiot just to make Ron feel better_"

"_I hoped as much from you Mr. Potter… do come by and talk with an old hat from time to time, I sense you have wonderful stories to tell, as do I_"

"_Count on it Albinnius_"

"Well then better be RAVENCLAW!"

The great hall fell into stunned silence as Harry stood up and went over to join his new house with a smile.

Up at the staff table Filius Flitwick the head of Ravenclaw was ecstatic, the son of Lily Evans was hopefully as big a prodigy as her mother and if he was then Filius would only be too happy to teach him.

No one paid any mind to the black haired lord of grease that was Severus Snape as he sat and brooded in silence over the spawn of James Potter attending this fine institution.

Down with Ace he was talking with a few other Ravenclaw first years and ignoring most of the sorting, he did pay attention when both Hermione and Ron was placed back into Gryffindor and he thanked the hat silently for sparing him the know it all this time around.

He looked through the remaining first years and summarized their houses until he came by one face… it was as if the world around them vanished as Ace recognized the face that despite sitting on an eleven year old could only belong to one person, it could only be…

"Weaver, Vanessa!"

* * *

**Chapter Revised 27/12-2015**

**A/N: Sooo…. How many of you thought Vanessa was dead? Well clearly she isn't. **

**I said in the first chapter that this story might not be that long, as indicated both by the short chapters and rather speedy process through everything. I'm not aiming to tell some grand story of intrigue and political warfare, I'm trying to tell a short story about a version of Harry that has a few more advantages to his disposal… that and hopefully some funny moments.**

**Of course those of you that are familiar with the "TheLemonsWillSeeYou" account will have seen that I have written a M-rated Lemon story for Warcraft, this story might potentially have Lemons but only if I feel like it should be there.**

**(There will be mentions of nudity here and there and some **_**less than subtle**_** indications to sexual situations)**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	3. Chapter 3

Ace almost refused to believe it as the name was called but it had to be true but he didn't understand how it could be… Vanessa wasn't a witch and she certainly didn't attend Hogwarts but how else…

'_Also we are giving you a few tools to assist you in your job; you will know what they are when the time is right'_

The words rang through his head as he realized that she was one of the tools given to him to help him… but did she remember everything as well or was he going to have to do as John said and learn to live without her love…

"RAVENCLAW!"

Ace's head snapped to the side and looked on in wonder as Vanessa approached the table and sat herself down next to him with a short smile that betrayed nothing. They both watched as the rest of the sorting was conducted and the Headmaster gave his speech about the school and staying away from the corridor on the third floor.

It was during this exact speech that Vanessa grabbed hold of his robe and tucked it a few times which prompted him to stare at her, she then leaned in closely to his ear and in a tone just above a whisper spoke.

"_You have so much to explain Ace and it better be good_"

When Vanessa withdrew herself to look into Ace's eyes she saw nothing but wide eyed wonder and confusion which was quickly replaced by a shining happiness that she hadn't seen in him in a long time... and then she felt his hand creep into hers and squeeze it tightly as she saw the tears that slowly formed at the corner of his eyes, she squeezed back without a second thought.

"_I thought I lost you…_"

She heard him whisper and stopped a gasp and her own tears from forming as she scooted a little closer to him and remained there for the remainder of the feast. The two never let go of each other's hands and didn't say a word more to each other.

Everyone followed as the Prefects showed them the way to the Ravenclaw tower and up the door that needed a riddle to open.

"The Poor have it, The Rich need it and if you eat it you will die"

Ace rolled his eyes at the simplicity and restrained a laugh when the Prefect actually looked like he needed to think of it.

"Nothing"

Vanessa was apparently short on patience this night and answered for everyone. Of course it was with wide eyed wonder that everyone stepped inside the Ravenclaw common room and saw the myriad of bookcases that were filled to the brim with ancient tomes and texts for them to study.

They were quickly informed of the separate dormitories and their placements and then they were shuffled off to bed as they had to rise early tomorrow for their first classes.

Vanessa had barely let her head hit the pillow before she heard a pop at the foot end of her bed and she saw an eleven year old Ace sitting there with a smile, he reached out a hand to her and she took it on reflex and with a short pop they disappeared with none of Vanessa's dorm mate being any the wiser.

The two eleven year olds appeared in the room that the house elves referred to as the "come and go room" which was at present moment neatly furnished with one large soft sofa and a warm fireplace with a bright warm fire already burning.

Ace guided Vanessa over to the sofa and sat her down before sitting across from her and simply stared with slight expectation. He didn't have to wait long.

"Ace what the bloody hell is going on here?!"

Vanessa had roared at the top of her lungs which only made it sound all the funnier due to it coming out of an eleven year olds mouth.

"Well… you're a witch!"

Vanessa decked him over the head for that little snide comment

"Hey!"

"Well don't be a prat then, I know I'm a witch you idiot! I made a vase explode when I was three, my fathers nearly shat themselves!"

"Just a vase? Good for you then. As for what else is going on… be a little more specific"

"I mean why I am eleven when the last thing I remember is that crazy bitch blowing up?!"

"Ah that… that would be because apparently the Senior Soul Manager of heaven or whatever was pissed that I robbed them of a soul so they sent me back here to ensure that they got the soul this time around… you are here because I think John realized that I couldn't live without you"

Vanessa stared at him just like she had stared when he had told her he was a Mage all those years ago… though perhaps this time it would be a bit more difficult to prove, well aside from them being here and all that.

"I think I'm going crazy…"

"Nope beautiful you have been crazy since the day we met"

"Why eleven… why not some later time… some time where I wouldn't feel bad about jumping you?"

"Because I think John needed a good laugh and seeing the two of us banging our heads against the wall until we turn fiftee" the glare that Vanessa sent him quickly saw that word go to "thirteen?"

"Better Ace"

"thirteen and can resume our usual schedule… though with you here I can definently get a lot more things done now that I have someone I can trust completely"

"So just to be clear… we died when a crazy bitch blew herself up with the sole intention of killing you. After we died you met up with some fucking form of the reaper and he was pissed because you robbed him of a soul so he sent you back here to redo everything and ensure that this time they got the soul they wanted… did I miss something?"

"No that just about sums it up"

Vanessa threw her hands in the air in annoyance "Well that's just fucking peachy!"

Ace rolled his eyes at the comment but couldn't help the smile that was on his face. He was happy to be back in some ways and the fact that Vanessa was here only made it better now the question was simply what he was going to do and in what order he was going to do things… but first.

"Get it out"

"Excuse me?"

"Get it out, I know you want to and I can see it on your face so let's hear it…"

Vanessa raised an eyebrow before a grin split her face and she jumped off the sofa and began dancing around

"I'm a Witch, I'm a Witch, I'm a Witch, I'm a Witch. No more money wasted on bullets! I'm a Witch, I'm a Witch I'm a Witch"

Vanessa kept repeating herself in that pattern for almost ten minutes before she had gotten all of it clearly out of her system. Ace didn't mind as he would most likely have reacted the same had he been living with a loving set of parents as he grew up, alas that was not the way but there was a bright side to all this… he would get to blow up the Dursley's house again!

"Ohh god… I'm a witch… does this change anything around… ya know?"

Ace raised a curious eyebrow before smiling

"As far as I know it shouldn't change a single thing perhaps aside from giving us both access to something more potent than small blue pills"

"Great! Now I just need you to teach me all of those amazing spells I saw you use back in the… past? Future? Ehh…"

"Technically our past but this worlds future"

"Yeah that"

"Well I can teach you some basics but until you have a better grasp around your magic I can't teach you that much, not like I was the best student last time I was here"

"Why was that anyway? Aren't you crazy smart?"

"Kind of limited myself so the know it all could stroke her own ego and our resident red-head didn't feel too stupid"

A devious grin spread out of Vanessa's features as a sudden realization came to her

"But this time there isn't… this time you can throttle them in the academic arena"

"And I can't wait to see Granger's face the first time I outperform her"

"Which begs the question if we shouldn't be getting back to our own beds, early up for school and all that?"

"*Groan* Oh don't remind me… *sniff* *sniff* I'll never forget you my beloved coffee machine…"

"Wait a fucking second are you telling me there isn't any coffee at this place?"

Ace could have sworn the walls of the room shook slightly at Vanessa's outburst but chose to not speak that opinion… what if he was right after all…

"Well… I don't really know, I didn't exactly ask for it back when I attended… but maybe… Could a Hogwarts house elf show itself please?"

With a small pop signaling its arrival a house elf in a rag appeared and was now staring intently at the two young people sitting in the sofa, one of them staring at it with wide eyes.

"What does the young mister and missus want?"

"Does the house elves know how to brew coffee?"

"Yes mister we does, Miss McGonagall likes her coffee in the mornings"

"Excellent, I assume we just ask for it like with everything else at breakfast?"

"Yes mister that is correct"

"Thank you very much for the help"

The elf gave a small smile before vanishing with a pop back to the kitchens. Ace turned to Vanessa and gave her a thumbs up, not the it registered as Vanessa was still staring at the point the elf had occupied moments before.

"What the fuck was that?"

"House Elf"

"… Ace, what is a house elf?"

"Elves that fucked up in the past and got slave-bound to Wizards, now they need to be bound to a Wizard or magical place or they will die, end of story"

"Huh… didn't know Wizards were into slavery"

"Sure they are, Wizards and Witches are single minded idiots who can't see past their own pointy nose"

"Oi! I'm a witch if you remember"

"When I'm done, you won't be"

"What?"

"I'm making you a Sorceress be it the last thing I ever do"

"I thought you had to be born with enough magical power to become one?"

"That or know a Mage or Sorceress to teach you"

"Convenient that my dear boyfriend is a Mage isn't it?"

"Your boyfriend's a mage?! How come you never told me! Dear I am offended harumf"

"Oh stop it you big baby… now let's get back to bed before the sun starts shining"

"This is Scotland… when does it ever shine?"

* * *

Next morning proved challenging for both of them as they each awoke just like their older selves would have done, grumpy and in deep need of a shot of coffee.

In Ace's case it was perhaps just slightly better since he didn't rely on the liquid just as much as his opposite did. He fought himself out to the showers allocated to the men of Ravenclaw and blatantly ignored everyone in there as some of them decided to try and make snide remarks regarding Ace and his young "body"…

"If the three housewives over there are done fantasizing about my _eleven year old body_, could the rest of us then perhaps get some peace here in these early hours of the morning?"

That had earned him a few snickers from some of the seventh years taking a shower and a few of the slightly older boys as well. No one spoke a word for the rest of the time Ace was showering, though most of them did wonder just why he was swearing as much as he did.

Vanessa had quite the different morning. She had gotten used to waking up and not being in her and Ace's old apartment but waking up in a room with four other beds and four other girls certainly did constitute a different experience, once that only got worse as she made her way to the bathroom.

Now Vanessa had been an only child both in her old life and in this one, so she wasn't used to having to fight for the shower, the benefit of two fathers was that both of them knew just how long their little princess wanted to spend in the shower and didn't dare contest her on it.

But this… this… this was beyond insane. She had barely opened the door to the women's bathroom before the wall of noise impacted her sensitive morning ears; someone was going to pay dearly for the oncoming headache.

"Oh Vanessa you're up!"

She recognized the voice as belonging to a Padma Patil, one of her dorm mates and the twin of some other girl that wasn't in Ravenclaw. The two had spoken in brief before going to bed and Vanessa liked the young girl, she truly did, but at this hour in the morning _before_ her coffee… well everyone was her enemy until she had her coffee.

"Not now Padma, I need a shower and then some breakfast…"

"Oh okay, but aren't you excited? We are starting classes today and I can't wait to start learning Charms…"

The ability to tune out everything but your own breathing was a useful skill that most Snipers the world over taught themselves shortly after dedicating themselves to mentioned weapon, but it also doubled nicely as a sound suppressor around noisy girls.

Vanessa spend the entire time under the shower simply ignoring Padma and any other girl that tried to start a conversation with her, of course she did have a slight bit of selective hearing so when some of the older girls began speaking ill of her she filed it down in her mind and waited for the appropriate time to use that information.

When she had finally dried herself off and thrown on her robe she made her way down to the common room and was quite happy to see a familiar patch of black hair standing by the door and waiting for her.

"Morning Ace"

"*Yawn* Morning Vanessa, ready for your first day?"

"I just hope we start out with something interesting"

"For you I think that would either be Defense against the Dark Arts or perhaps Transfiguration"

"Both sound cool, let's get some breakfast first though"

Her stomach grumbled loudly in compliance and the two shared a chuckle and a smile as they walked down towards the great hall with Ace making sure to point out specific areas that Vanessa would do well to remember, like a few hidden passages or memorable statute.

The two sat down at their house table and began gulfing in their breakfast. Though it took McGonagall walking through the doors of the great hall for the two to remember the single most important details from yesterday.

"Black Coffee, please"

The two chimed it together and with a small rattle a can of coffee appeared before both of them and the two happily poured themselves a generous amount before gulping down almost the entirety of their goblets before McGonagall interrupted them with a slight cough.

"Coffee Mister Potter? And you as well Miss Weaver?"

Both eleven year olds turned and stared at each other before shrugging and downing the rest of their goblets and then turned their attention towards the Gryffindor Head of House.

"Coffee is an excellent way of starting your day…"

The two chimed mysteriously before they turned back around and resumed their breakfast, Ace had missed this part of the Wizarding world something so fiercely. The house elves made a mean bagel.

McGonagall went to the head table with a bemused expression as she sat down and continued observing the young Mister Potter and his new friend, the two seemed quite close and she could only be happy about that.

"So Filius are you looking forward to teaching the younglings?"

McGonagall had turned towards her short friend who was smiling cheerfully at her in response.

"I must say I am particularly interested in young Mister Potter, if he has inherited even a smudge of Lily's talent for Charms he will go far"

"He will go far no matter what Filius, we both know that"

The small man chuckled along with his old friend as they observed the hall slowly filling with students. As each table finally filled the two heads of house alongside the remaining two began passing out the class schedules much to the joy of the younger children, and discomfort of mostly everyone above third year.

Down with Ace and Vanessa the two were going over their schedules which revealed, much to Ace's visible discomfort, that they were starting out with Potions this morning directly followed by Charms then lunch and the day would finish with Transfiguration.

"Potions… oh this is going to be great…"

*Thud*

Ace's head struck the table in tandem with finishing his statement and a rather colorful string of curses followed as his thoughts passed to his rather boorish classes he had with Snape and how the greasy git loved to torture him.

"I take it there's some bad blood between you and the teacher of the subject?"

"He had the biggest hard on for my mother while they were in school, she wised up and began dating my prat of a father and Snape never got over it. He sees me as the second coming of James Potter…"

"Eww… What are you going to do?"

Ace lifted his head just enough so that Vanessa could see his two emerald green eyes release and eerie glow as his hatred for the man slowly reached the boiling point.

"When I'm done with him he is going to think my father was a saint"

Nodding her understanding Vanessa returned to her breakfast and left her lover to his mad planning which at present moment was focused on Snape, but knowing Ace it would probably somehow turn into a convoluted scheme about taking over the world.

* * *

**A/N: Okay I need to say "Chapters won't come out that quickly" more often because that is apparently the cheat code for my brain to go "You don't write enough my friend, get to it" so yeah. Chapter 3, yay?**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	4. Chapter 4

**Before the Rebirth**

Harry ran… he couldn't stop no matter what if he wanted to survive what was coming. Ducking his head to avoid getting struck with a stunner he quickly dived into a side alley and continued his mad dash for safety.

Stopping momentarily Harry swung his large wooden staff over his head and slammed it into the ground sending a massive shockwave forward that knocked the first few of his pursuers off their feet.

Resuming his run Harry's mind kept returning to the ministry and how they had tried to bind his magic… they were going to throw him out of the wizarding world because that moron of a Minister was afraid that he would turn into the next Dark Lord

"Young Harry has had that horrible piece of magic in his head almost since birth, we cannot risk that it might have corrupted him over the years"

Those were the words spoken by the ever so wise Minister, words that eventually led to Harry's current situation.

Sliding to avoid another stunner Harry made a swiping motion in front of him with his staff and the air rippled for a few short moments before letting Harry pass through the newly created barrier harmlessly.

As the first of his pursuers reached and tried to pass through the barrier an ear shattering scream rang out through Diagon Alley as the Wizard had been incinerated on the spot. The rest of the Wizards quickly began working on bringing down the barrier so they could continue their chase.

Harry could see the entrance to the leaky cauldron down at the end of the street and upped his pace. He could almost smell the dinner cooking inside the kitchens when he felt a magical presence right next to him and before he knew he had been tackled to the ground by an infuriated red-head.

"God damn it Harry, stop struggling this is the best option for everyone!"

Ron Weasley had shown his true colors moments after Voldemort's fall, he had all but left Harry behind and jumped on the whole idea that he was the next Dark Lord in the making and that they should throw him out of the Wizarding world for their own protection.

"You fucking arsehole! I trusted you!"

The two were struggling on the ground with each of them trying to beat the shit out of the other, wands momentarily forgotten as they had it out like men. Using his slightly leaner build Ron managed to tip Harry over and pin him to the ground, he quickly reached for his wand and tried to place it in front of his past friends face so he couldn't miss with the stunner.

Harry just struggled more and more against as the wand slowly leveled with his eyes and in a final desperate move he kicked his leg up and hit Ron in the back of the head which caused the red-head to jerk forward with his head… and his wand followed and buried itself into Harry's eye.

"ARGH!"

The scream was horrifying as Ron recoiled in shock of what he had just done, he stumbled off Harry and tried to apologies but it was no use as Harry thrust his hand forward and wandlessly banished Ron into the nearest wall knocking the red-head out cold.

Grabbing his head Harry stumbled to the wall leading into the Leaky Cauldron and blasted it apart with a wave of his Staff and a muttered blasting curse.

Everyone in the bar jumped as they looked towards the pile of rubble and a collective gasp spread through the crowd as Harry stumbled forward clutching his bleeding eye socket.

"Harry dear boy, let me help you!"

Tom had practically run to the young boy but he had thrown him backwards with a small banishing charm.

Harry ignored everyone and slowly stumbled his way out to the streets of London where he looked around for a moment before he lifted his staff to the sky and sent it hurling towards the ground.

The wood struck the pavement and with a sickening crack split open to reveal a small silvery feather sticking out of the center.

Harry picked up the feather and put it inside his pocket and gave one last look towards the Leaky Cauldron before he muttered something and the entire front of the tavern caved in on itself.

With a small pop Harry Potter apparated away from both the Leaky Cauldron and the Wizarding world, he was done with them… for now.

* * *

A few days later in a hospital down in central London a certain John Doe still hadn't woken up after a nurse had found him lying bleeding and most certainly dying in one of the closets… good thing she needed to relieve some stress and that closet was the closest… huh, what are the odds?

The young man had been taken to surgery almost instantly as they had determined that he was in fact missing an eye.

Thankfully the surgery revealed that there wasn't any damage to the young man's cranium or surrounding muscles. His wound would heal over naturally and the young man would have a gaping hole going into his cranium but nothing else would be wrong and the wound could be concealed with an eye-patch.

Though it was safe to say when the doctor had examined the rest of the young man's body he had scared a few nurses, the good doctor had never seemed as scary as he had those moments after seeing the young man's back.

Further investigation of the young man and blood samples revealed that he at some point in his life had suffered a massive malnourishment and the effects still lingered to this day, such as his skin's inability to heal correctly from what seemed like countless beatings.

The young man had been placed in a room and constant watch was being kept over him to find out when he would wake up, though after the first two days the doctor began worrying that it might not happen anytime soon.

Finally some five days after the young man had arrived someone showed up and asked to him. It was a couple of women, though one of them looked to be barely the young man's age which the doctor had estimated to be somewhere around eighteen years old since they hadn't found any identification on the young man.

"We were informed that you have a John Doe in your care?"

The older of the two women had asked the clerk sitting out front. She was a rather tall woman, easily standing 2 meters tall if not higher and though her arms and legs were covered by a suit it was visible that this woman had muscle to spare.

"Yes he arrived five days ago with severe injures, are you here to identify him?"

With a nod the woman confirmed the clerks question and the two women were then led down a few corridors until they arrived in front of the young man's room.

"He hasn't woken up once since he arrived… poor lad, we don't know what to do with him"

"Let us have a look at him"

The clerk opened the door and allowed the two women inside before she stepped back to her post at the desk.

In the room the two women looked over the young man, the older holding a stern expression on her face though her eyes betrayed the storm that was raging beneath that calm surface.

"This is him, no doubt about it… but his eye…"

The younger of the two women approached the sleeping man and inspected his missing eye before turning towards the older of the two with barely contained rage.

"They are not getting away with this!"

"Of course not but calm yourself child. We have determined that he is here, we have done our duty. It is up to him to find his way to us, if he truly is one of us like his Mother claimed all those years ago"

"I still don't like leaving him here… what if they come for him?"

"And how would they find him?"

"I don't know Annabeth but I just have this feeling…"

The older of the two women put an assuring hand on her younger companions shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"He will be fine Celeste, we saw the remains of his staff in front of the Leaky Cauldron and without that they have no way of tracking him… but if it means that much to you then I will post a guard with him"

The younger of the two women smiled warmly as she gave her partner a quick hug before she approached the young man and gave him a kiss on his forehead as a tear fell from her eye and landed on the young man's cheek.

"Please come find us Harry… I need my little brother…"

The younger woman removed herself from the room and left the older to look upon Harry as he lay there sleeping, she could feel the magic rolling off him in waves and was surprised that Celeste hadn't noticed it… hell she was surprised that the doctors hadn't somehow noticed it.

"You stay strong Harry and come find us when you are ready…"

With that the older woman left the room and located her younger companion. Together they made their way out of the hospital before seemingly vanishing into nothingness while everyone who had looked upon them moments later suddenly forgot just why there were staring at a random empty spot.

* * *

**A/N: Well this was the first of the "Backstory Chapters" that will show up from time to time, they will fill in the 15 year gap between Harry fleeing the Wizarding World and his death at the hands of Hermione. **

**These chapters won't be terribly long as this clearly demonstrates and they are meant to remain as such. I hope you all will take to this idea as I can also use them as emergency chapters if I hit a snag in my writing of the main story.**

**Review if you are feeling kind!**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	5. Chapter 5

**After the Rebirth**

"So we are learning about potions, highly volatile, potentially exploding, poison gas expelling potions… in a _dungeon_?!"

Vanessa had just been told by Ace just where it was that they were going to be learning potions for the next foreseeable years, and quite clearly she wasn't happy.

"Well when you look at it from a safety stand point it sounds a little worse…"

"Sounds… sounds… little…. LITTLE WORSE?! HARRY JAMES POTTER!"

"Holy shit woman okay! It's dangerous as all fucking hell but I don't know what to do about it right now!"

"How about telling someone?"

"Who? I mean Dumbledore isn't going to do anything that his little pet Death Eater doesn't like and the heads of house don't hold enough sway and I certainly can't go the board of governors"

Vanessa looked thoughtful for a second as she tried to come up with something or someone they could tell about this and perhaps not risk getting blown up because of some stupid accident.

Her thoughts continued to scramble until she felt Ace stop next to her so by pure instinct she stopped and took half a step back so she was exactly at his side, though had she looked she would have seen the extreme displeasure currently rolling off her lover.

"So it's true, Harry Potter came to Hogwarts… I must say I'm surprised you managed to get into the house of the wise, you don't look that wise to me"

Vanessa looked up and saw a small blonde idiot that she didn't recognize that well, she knew he was a first year as she was sure she had seen him during the sorting.

"Hey Ace, who is that little blonde idiot?"

"I'm Draco Malfoy and who are you?"

The boy had snarled as threateningly as he could… which when faced with Ace and Vanessa really didn't mean much.

"Vanessa Weaver"

"I don't know any wizarding families named Weaver"

"My parents aren't magical dumbass"

"So you are one of those filthy mu…"

Whatever Draco had intended to say it was silenced as Ace almost blinked out of existence before appearing before the young Malfoy heir and threw him against the wall before placing his arm over the prat's throat, bringing some much preferred silence.

"If you want to keep your tongue then I suggest you don't finish that sentence…"

To emphasize his point Ace planted his wand right below Draco's jaw

"One cutting hex and your tongue is separated from your mouth, a tremendously painful experience I have been told"

Ace then leaned all the way up to Draco's ear before growling

"_First and last warning you little shit, I even suspect that you have harassed Vanessa again and I. Will. End. You. Are we fucking clear?_"

Draco nodded his head violently before a familiar smell of piss spread out through the dungeon hallways.

Ace made no sudden movement of disgust rather he just wrinkled his nose and gave the Malfoy Heir one final push before he retreated back to his lover's side and used a cleaning charm to remove what little piss got on his shoes.

"Anyone else feeling like being a smart mouth?"

It was a challenge and every first year who had witnessed what just happened understood that. Displaying a rare sense of genius everyone wisely backed off and allowed the two to pass and continue the path towards the Potions classroom.

"I take it there's history there?"

"You could say that"

"Going to tell me?"

"Later love"

The two reached the doors to the potions classroom and on pure instinct Ace leaned over and gave Vanessa a quick kiss before they entered the room, it was such a common gesture between the two that they didn't even notice they had done it… fuck where they going to be surprised the next time they entered the great hall.

Inside the potions classroom Vanessa's worries only renewed as she looked upon the horrid state of the room, looking up she could see what could only be a collection of various fumes that had managed to turn into mold.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

Ace gave a shrug "We blew up cauldrons in here last time, none of us died from that"

"I swear to god you don't care about your life"

Ace just smiled at her as he seated himself next to her on the second row and awaited the entrance of the lord of grease himself.

He didn't have to wait long before the doors slammed open and Severus Snape came marching into the classroom with his cloak billowing behind him.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the sense… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death… that is if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach"

Snape's long triad had the intended effect on most every student, they were bloody terrified of the man and few felt like staying in the class and would probably leave given the chance.

The only students seeming remarkably fine were Ace and Vanessa. Ace because he already knew the man was more bark than bite and Vanessa because she had faced down much scarier prospects than a teacher that knew how to brew a bit of cough medicine.

As Snape took the roll call he stopped when he reached one particular name and the sneer that erupted onto his face was almost comical to Ace.

"Harry Potter… our newest celebrity. Let us see if you have inherited that empty head of your fathers. What would I get if I added powdered roof of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"Draught of living Death"

"Where would you look if I asked you to find a bezoar?"

"Stomach of a goat is usually a good bet"

"That's five points from Ravenclaw for your cheek Mr. Potter. Now what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"They are the same plant, also goes by the name of Aconite in case you were wondering. Got anymore attempts at my intelligence Professor Snape? Or do I have to remind you just how much of James Potter's son I actually am?"

"Fifty points from Ravenclaw for threatening a teacher and two detentions with filch starting tonight!"

Ace stood up calmly before he looked Snape squarely in the eyes and waited for what he knew was to come.

He could barely contain the grin when he felt Snape's legilimency probe against his shields. With practiced ease Ace led the probe to a secluded part of his mind fortress where he kept a certain batch of memories for times like this.

'_Enjoy living through my childhood dumbass'_

And Snape did just that as he fell to the floor screaming in agony as he was forced to relive the entirety of Ace's childhood through his very eyes.

"Come on Love, he isn't getting up and I think I need to have a talk with McGonagall about a teacher trying to use legilimency on a student and a minor"

Vanessa smiled and hopped out of her seat and joined her lover as they left the potions classroom and a screaming professor behind, nothing of worth lost if you ask me.

Locating McGonagall wasn't all the difficult; a called house elf told them that she was currently in the process of teaching the fifth years Transfiguration.

The two quickly traversed the halls of Hogwarts and found themselves in front of the Transfiguration classroom, McGonagall's stern voice was heard through the doors… apparently someone hadn't managed to perform a transfiguration to standards.

*Knock* *Knock* (_Honestly I didn't think Ace polite enough to knock_)

"Who is it?"

McGonagall's voice sounded through the door and Ace opened the door and stepped inside before giving a court nod to the Deputy Headmistress.

"Professor McGonagall I have matter I wish to discuss with in your role as Deputy Headmistress, I'm afraid it can't wait"

"And what Mr. Potter could possibly be so important as to interrupt the fifth year's preparation for the OWL's?"

"The attempt of legilimency on a minor and a student, namely me"

"That is a serious accusation to make, to my office Mr. Potter and I shall contact Filius as he is your head of house, Miss Weaver you may return to class"

"I am not returning to that ticking time bomb, are you insane lady?!"

A silence befell that classroom as every student, including Ace, turned and stared with Vanessa with either awe or horror, no one had survived yelling at McGonagall and certainly not in that tone.

"Miss Weaver! My office, NOW!"

The two first years politely passed through the class until Ace passed the student that McGonagall was most likely just berating for not succeeding in his transfiguration. From his position it was visible that the fifth year was attempting to transform a dinner plate into a mushroom.

'_The spell Ron somehow managed during his OWL, interesting'_

Choosing to ignore the student Ace continued into McGonagall's office where he sat down next to Vanessa in the chair's in front of McGonagall's desk.

A few minutes later the door swung open and a rather irate McGonagall stalked into the office with Filius hot on her heels, a less than pleased expression on his face.

Once McGonagall had seated herself Flitwick continued pacing behind her chair as he mumbled a few things in a language the two eleven year olds didn't know but Ace suspected it was goblin.

"Now let us get to the bottom of this, Mr. Potter you claim that a Legilimency spell was attempted on you earlier today. Who performed the spell?"

"Severus Snape"

Filius' grumbling only escalated when the potions professors name was mentioned and he continued his fuming.

"That is a heavy allegation to make Mr. Potter, have you any proof?"

"PROOF?!"

The small charms professor roared at the top of his lungs causing the windows to rattle as his magic pushed against them.

"Severus is currently down in the medical wing being treated for a severe case of legilimency backlash, how's that for proof Minerva?!"

"I would happily supply a memory of the event for viewing if that helps"

"Thank you Harry that will certainly help… but I find myself curious as to how you recognized a legilimency attempt and even managed to repel it?"

Filius ceased his grumbling long enough to turn and stare at young Harry with pointed eyes demanding an answer, the charms professor was in no mood for games.

"Sorry Professor but that is my secret to keep for the moment, Professor Flitwick I will consider sharing it with you as my head of house and I place my trust in that it won't go further than yourself should that be the case"

The charms professor looked pensive for a moment before nodding his head in acceptance and then proceeded to pull out a vial for Harry to deposit his memories in.

Ace gently touched his wand to his temple before pulling out a thin white wispy line and placed it in the vial and took a moment to glance at the memory in fascination before handing it to McGonagall.

"In other matters… Miss Weaver I am highly disappointed in your choice of language, against a teacher no less"

McGonagall had leveled her best stare at Vanessa, the poor Transfiguration Professor had to do a few mental back-steps as she was met with an equal stare… one that held a great promise of pain should she even remotely attempt anything.

"I will use whatever language I wish when I find out that the room we are being taught Potions in is a ticking time bomb"

The venom in her voice was clearly targeted towards the faculty of Hogwarts in general as she felt that either the teachers here knew how the dungeon classroom looked and didn't do anything about it, or they had simply not cared to inform themselves about the teaching environment surrounding the potions craft, potentially _explosive_ potions!

"Miss Weaver, what are you talking about?"

The small charms professor piped up from his position beside McGonagall's desk

"I am talking about how we are being taught potions a subject, that if I have understood correctly, involve potentially dangerous brewing methods that could result in poisonous gas leaking from the cauldron or perhaps the cauldron might explode. Not to even begin mentioning what the combined humidity from all those cauldrons must have done to the stone down in the dungeons, magic school or not I highly doubt you are protected from mold and its assorted ilk"

The two professors sat wide eyed and stared at the young Vanessa as the implications began turning in their heads, if any of it turned out to be true then there was a good chance that most of the muggle born would be taken out of Hogwarts.

"Filius, could this be true?"

"I don't know Minerva… I will admit to fearing something happening down in the dungeons if one of the students made something happen due to being unsupervised but Severus is always within sight of each of his students, he would catch anything smelling off or giving the wrong color… or at least I think he will"

"You sound unsure Professor…"

"I will be the first to admit, Miss Weaver, that I have never been very fond of young Severus. His work as a potions master is certainly remarkable if not respectable but I have no preference for the man himself"

"Never the less… an allegation like this needs to be taken in front of the Headmaster, if you two would follow me"

McGonagall got up from her seat and walked towards the door with her two students; Filius followed along as he was their head of house and felt he needed to be present for this conversation.

They came to the statue that was guarding the Headmasters office and McGonagall spoke the password "Gummy bears" causing the statue to step aside and allow them entrance.

Inside the Headmasters office Dumbledore was currently in the process of going over some information he had received recently on the current movements within the Wizengamot, it seemed he would need to call in a few favors if this next bill was to be voted against… once more trying to make it legal for Wizards to kill muggles if they felt threatened… a load of shite as far as Dumbledore was concerned.

As the door to his office opened Dumbledore looked up and met the eyes of Minerva before discreetly nodding and then put on his best grandfather face to hide his rather foul mood caused by the information.

"Minerva, Filius, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Headmaster, a problem has been brought to our attention concerning the safety of the students"

Standing behind his head of house, Ace looked on with interest as he saw the eyes of Dumbledore and a steely look replaced the twinkling grandfatherly eyes from before. If Ace had to give the old man anything then it was his concern for his charges.

"And I assume young Mr. Potter and Miss Weaver brought this to your attention?"

"That is correct"

"Hmm… Mr. Potter, Miss Weaver take a seat"

With a wave of his hand Dumbledore conjured four comfortable looking chairs in front of his desk and his four guests sat down.

"Lemon Drop?"

Vanessa reached for one but was stopped by a look from Ace that told her it was a bad idea… those Lemon Drops had a bit more in them than just lemon essence.

"Very well then how about you tell me what is going on?"

Vanessa repeated her earlier worries in regards to the current condition of the dungeon classroom, throughout the entire thing it grew more and more visible on the Headmasters face that something was off.

"… and to round it off I already saw a great deal of mold in the corners of the classroom"

"Mr. Potter can you confirm this?"

"Yes sir I can"

"Hmm… Severus ensured me that the classroom was cleaned at least once a week and aired every other day to get rid of any potential dangerous fumes… if what you say is correct it would seem young Severus has lied to me"

Ace didn't believe it at first, was Dumbledore actually accepting that Severus might actually have done something wrong? What a day!

"What are we going to do Albus?"

"I will contact Horace and have him come take a look, he taught Severus and I am sure that no one is better qualified to see and judge the current state of the potions room. Horace was rather famous for keeping students for cleaning after each lesson"

"*Sigh* Yes I had to give my share of warnings due to his mania for cleaning"

Dumbledore chuckled at his Deputy Headmistress before his gaze turned upon Harry and Vanessa, he caught the glance of young Harry for a moment and saw something there… something that shouldn't be in the eyes of any eleven year old

"Now I was informed by Madam Pomfrey that Severus is currently down in the medical wing due to Legilimency backlash, what can you tell me about this Mr. Potter?"

Ace shrugged a moment before cracking his neck and then took his sweet time looking around the room and gave a smile to Albinnius and then to Fawkes.

"He attempted to read my mind with Legilimency so I let him to the part of my mind that I have reserved for intruders"

Three sets of eyes widened in surprise as Harry described how he dealt with Severus attack. Having Occlumency shields at such a young age was possible, unheard of but possible… but having an entire complete mindscape with a readymade defense at eleven? That was just plain impossible.

"Hmm… Minerva, Filius, would you mind giving me a moment alone with Mr. Potter and Miss Weaver?"

The two teachers nodded before smiling at their two students and then rose from their seats that promptly vanished, once they had left the room Dumbledore opened up a drawer in his desk and pulled out a package. Reaching over the table Dumbledore placed the package in front of Ace before smiling at the young man.

"I had intended to give this to you as a Christmas present but perhaps you will find yourself in need of its assistance much sooner, your father entrusted this to me many years ago and I am only happy to return it"

Ace reached forward with shaky hands and opened the package to reveal his father's invisibly cloak. He could feel tears stinging at the edge of his vision as he hugged the cloak, he had left it behind when he fled the Wizarding world the first time and he had regretted it ever since.

"Now Mr. Potter I believe you and I have a lot to speak about but first I must be sure, is Miss Weaver completely in your confidence?"

Not wishing to risk speaking in fear of his voice failing him Ace just nodded his compliance.

"Very well then… Mr. Potter I do believe you are the most recent victim of a Rebirth, would I be correct in that assumption?"


	6. Chapter 6

Now Ace considered himself a smart man, arguably he thought himself as smart as a suitcase when he attended school originally, but those fifteen years around the world really sharpened his mind… and certain other areas that he could thank a veela colony for helping him with.

But even Ace had to do a double, and then triple, then quadruple, and then finishing it with a quintuple take inside his mind when Dumbledore spoke those words to him.

"Sir if you don't mind me asking… how do you know what a Rebirth is?"

Taking that answer as a confirmation to his worries, the Headmaster leaned back in his sizable chair and pulled off his half-moon glasses and rubbed his tired old eyes as a new wave of worry washed over him.

"Because Mr. Potter… I am a victim of a Rebirth as well"

Thankful for his many years of training in controlling his emotions, Ace didn't betray anything upon the news short of a raised eyebrow and a weird little grin that quickly turned to a frown.

"What happened that resulted in you getting sent back?"

"*Sigh* It was in my youth and I walked down a dangerous path, in the end it saw me killed at a very young age by a man I trusted with my life. I was returned as I had a greater part to play so I was given that second chance to correct my mistake… sadly I did not correct it as much as I wanted to"

Ace looked pensive for a moment before he snapped his fingers.

"Gellert Grindelwald, he was the one that killed you"

"*Nod* Indeed it was Gellert who took my life originally. But I managed to avoid it the second time around, though sadly Gellert still ended up becoming a dark lord"

A peaceful face came over Ace as he looked lost in a memory shortly before he refocused on Dumbledore

"If it helps you any sir, Gellert did or rather do regret his action at least a little bit. Before I was sent back he intentionally lied to Voldemort to protect you"

It was oddly pleasing to both Ace and Vanessa to see the look of relief and joy that came over Dumbledore as they saw his eyes grow slightly misty. He pulled out a napkin and dried his eyes with a smile.

"Thank you Mr. Potter… that means more than you will ever know"

Ace nodded in response and waited as Dumbledore gathered his thoughts once more.

"Perhaps you could tell me how young Miss Weaver fits into all this?"

Vanessa blushed ever so slightly as she looked over at Ace who nodded calmly and returned her smile with a bright one of his own.

"Well sir… back before everything happened I was Ace's girlfriend and partner, we have been together some five years before we were sent back"

Dumbledore released a hearty chuckle at Vanessa's expression, he could see that the love was definently there and would remain strong… it was what he had hoped he and Gellert could have had all those years ago.

"Well had we not been blown up you would actually have become a bit more than my girlfriend…"

Vanessa snapped her head and stared at Ace wide eyed

"Y-You mean?"

"I was going to propose when we went to Paris later that month…"

"… I'm going to kill that bitch"

At this point Dumbledore coughed loudly

"Not to interrupt, but perhaps it would be to our benefit if I was filled in on just how you came to die? If it is okay with you Mr. Potter I would like to view your memories of Hogwarts and perhaps your death"

Ace didn't looked too happy about having Dumbledore mess around in his head but he knew there wasn't a better way as he couldn't properly convey just what transpired in those seven years.

"Very well… but only my school years"

"Of course Mr. Potter"

The two wizards stared each other in the yes and Ace felt Dumbledore enter his mind, he guided him to his minds castle and placed him in a long corridor dedicated to his memories around Hogwarts.

To Ace's surprise Dumbledore walked calmly down the corridor and stared at the many memories as they passed, not once did his face change from the passive calmness it displayed.

It took a good half hour for Dumbledore to witness it all and when the two once more entered the real world Dumbledore's serene face contorted into one of anger and disappointment as he leaned back in his chair and placed his glasses on the desk.

"Stubborn old fool…"

The headmaster mumbled as he stared down into his desk. He sat like that for a good long time as Ace and Vanessa held a small conversation between themselves regarding some off topic things, like the ring Ace had chosen for Vanessa.

"Mr. Potter?"

The two young ones stopped their talking and turned to look at their headmaster as he suddenly bowed his head down in a deep bow.

"You have my most sincere apologies for what this foolish old man has forced you to endure because of my ignorance… to think everything went so astray…"

Now Ace was really confused, he really didn't know what to do in this situation as he never expected to see Dumbledore bow and apologies like this to him.

"I-It's okay sir, I mean you haven't done any of it yet and now you know right?"

"Be that as it may Mr. Potter I still regret having put you through all that… what was I thinking when all this happened?"

"You always think of the greater good, sir"

It was visible that the older wizard was rethinking that entire concept if "the greater good" led young Harry such a dangerous path, just look at his first year for merlin's sake! Keeping the _real_ Philosopher's Stone in the castle, what the hell was he thinking?! Well at least here, now, the stone was hidden away safely somewhere no one would ever find it again.

"Headmaster…"

"Call me Albus, I believe we are far past titles by now"

"Then I insist you call me Vanessa"

"And I suppose you can call me Ac… Harry…"

Ace felt Vanessa's hand on his arm giving it a comforting squeeze

"Ah yes that interesting moniker I have heard Vanessa call you by, however did it come to be?"

"That is a longer story Albus, one we don't have to time for currently. I think we need to focus on the bigger things, like why I was sent back"

Albus leaned forward slightly and rested on his desk as his expression turned serious.

"Yes let us start with that"

"The reason I was sent back was because, back in my time, I removed the Horcrux in my head and attached it to a regular stone, I then ported that stone to the bottom of the ocean. After I defeated Voldemort it then resulted in his spirit seeking out his last remaining Horcrux, which just means he was left stuck beneath the ocean to never escape again"

Two sets of eyes locked onto Ace and stared, one with barely concealed amusement and another in utter shock. As it was it was Vanessa who broke it first by snickering.

"Hahahahahahahha!"

The old Headmaster reeled back and roared in laughter. It was an odd thing to witness, especially for Ace who had never heard the headmaster truly laugh, and certainly not a warm hearty laugh as this.

"Ohh sweet merlin, Harry you just made an old man's day" Dumbledore wiped his eyes from the tears that had gathered "To condemn Tom to spend eternity under the sea, what a very amusing idea"

"Ehh… to be honest Albus I thought you would be disappointed in me for not trying to forgive him…"

"I sprouted that sort of nonsense before?"

A singular nod was all the confirmation he needed

"Well Harry I can tell you that that is a load of tripe, Tom might have been redeemable back when he first began his decent into madness but he is simply too far gone now… Horcruxes of all things! No there is only one last thing that can be done with Tom; he needs to be killed to ensure the safety of both the wizarding world and the normal world"

Vanessa nudged Ace in his side before grinning wildly

"I like this new Albus, he is so much more fun than the one you told me about"

Ace could only nod in acceptance as he stared with a bemused expression at Dumbledore who returned the gesture with a sly little smile that the Marauders would have been proud of.

"Thank you Vanessa. Now about the first and most obvious issue, Harry's residence… obviously I am not letting you return to an abusive household that simply will not do. So we need a different set of accommodations as I highly doubt you would wish to spent your summer here at Hogwarts"

"What about my home? I'm sure my parents won't mind"

"No offence Vanessa but I was scared shitless meeting them when I was older, I am not meeting them while I am still eleven"

"Oh come on daddy didn't mean it when he went to get the shotgun…"

"No? Then why did I hear the damn thing being loaded in the next room?"

"*Cough* Returning to the matter at hand, perhaps Harry you know someone who would take you in?"

Ace gave it a round of thought and he came up with a few names that could work, then some of them quickly disappeared again when he remembered that they were still in first year so he hadn't met Andromeda or Fleur yet… hmm this was a bit of an issue, there was his sister but…

"Well Albus there is someplace I could go during my summer's… I just don't know if you will like it"

"I'm listening"

"I guess I should start by asking just how much you actually knew about my Mother"

"Lily? I like to think we were friends but I must sadly admit I was closer to James, I know some minor details about her regarding small events in her life but for anything more you should ask Minerva as the two remained good friends even after she left Hogwarts"

"So you didn't know… damn…"

"Know what Ace?"

Ace turned his gaze upon Vanessa

"Remember how we met, who introduced us?"

"Yeah it was… ohh… oh shit"

"Exactly"

"I take it this is a great deal more serious than just accommodations now?"

"Yes, yes it is… you see the people I could stay with would be my mother's sister…"

"Harry I'm confused, are you not already living with Petunia?"

"*Gulp* I'm not talking about Petunia… I'm talking about their half-sister, my grand-father apparently wasn't the most loyal of husbands and it resulted in a child with one of his mistresses"

Dumbledore was speechless to put it mildly. He had researched extensively around Lily's ancestors for anyone magical as she had asked him to, he had found a few lesser witches and wizards many years ago but not someone of note… he however never looked into her father beyond just that, her father.

"And what would I not like about you staying with your aunt?"

"Because sir… *sigh* she is part of the MDA, one of their head trainers around this time if I am not mistaken"

"T-The MDA… Magical Death Association, Harry those are some rather gruesome people…"

"I know Albus… but after I escaped the Wizarding world I was wounded, my Aunt and Cousin led me to them and they took me in and trained me for ten years, trained me to survive"

"Did they induct you into the order?"

"No they didn't, my Aunt didn't want me to be a part of that"

Dumbledore mumbled a few things to himself before he looked pensive and stared throughout the room.

"Are you certain they would allow you back now, in this time?"

"I'm certain, if anything my Aunt would allow me to live with her over the summer in their home and not in the Order's headquarters"

"Hmm… then perhaps that would be our best choice"

"Ace you do know realize that, by going to your aunt this early you are going to have to deal with Ameline that much sooner?"

"*Groan* that little tidbit slipped my mind… I'll find a way to live"

"Ameline?"

"No one of importance Albus, just a girl with a slight case of hero worship"

"*Nod* Very well. On to some other matters, how had you planned to go about dealing with Tom?"

"Truthfully I hadn't granted it much thought… you see I was quite of mind to take revenge long before thinking of dealing with Tom… but seeing as you have turned out to be quite a bit different than the Dumbledore I know, I have had to put that on the backburner"

"*Chuckle* quite so? Then may I suggest dealing with that little piece of dark magic on your forehead?"

"You knew it was there?"

"Save the glares Harry, I knew it was there but I had my reservations. You have displayed tremendous magical power, so now I won't have to fear for your magical core if we extract the Horcrux"

"Wait are you saying that removing the Horcrux could have damaged my core?"

"*Sigh* Harry, a Horcrux is extremely dark magic. In the few instances I have come across them it has always been on inanimate objects, you are the first living Horcrux I have ever encountered so I had to take as many precautions as I could"

"Hmm… best wait then, though my magical power is massive, I will admit, I am still eleven in body so we don't know just what it could do to my core if it was taken out before my magical maturity"

"Quite right Harry, quite right. I'm happy to see that it was justified you ended up in Ravenclaw… don't tell Minerva but I did so hope you took after your mother. Though I liked your father a great deal, I could do without the second generation of the Marauders on top of the Weasley twins"

"*Chuckle* I can assure you sir, pranking is one of the last things on my mind"

"Though it is on your mind, forgive me for saying this Harry but my other self-had at least one thing right. You have a chance here to lead a normal wizards life, however short that little peaceful time will last it is still worth chasing… enjoy being alive, Merlin knows I never did"

"And on that depressing note… what about Quirrel?"

"An excellent question… I will admit to not knowing whatever he is actually possessed just yet, or is going to be in the future… I suggest waiting until we know more"

"I agree Albus. Though that leads me towards something else, the stone?"

"Locked away safely with Nicolas and his wife, the one in the school is purely a fake. A very convincing fake but a fake none the less"

"Then, headmaster, forgive me for perhaps being a bit of an arse. But why then keep all the protections around the stone, a fake stone even, and then simply tell the students "the third floor is forbidden" and hope no one goes to investigate?"

Dumbledore looked quite thoughtful at that. In fact he almost looked shocked. No scratch that, he looked like someone had just told him that in fact he wasn't a wizard and this was all just an elaborate hoax for one of the muggle T.V programs.

"Merlin's beard! Please tell me that my counterpart didn't leave the door unlocked?!"

Both Harry and Vanessa were surprised by Dumbledore's sudden outburst, he seemed genuinely horrified that his other self might have done something so careless.

"Hermione Granger unlocked the door with a simple Alohomora"

"Alo-Aloho…ALOHOMORA?! Morgana's tits what was he thinking?!"

Dumbledore's mouth shut with a loud "pop" as he realized what he had just said. Though he knew Harry and Vanessa were both much older than they looked, he still didn't feel like he was justified in swearing profusely around youngsters.

Harry's face was redder than red as he tried to contain the laughter. The repeated snorts and small chuckles revealed how that endeavor went. Vanessa on the other hand, well, she had no such reservations.

"pfft hahahahahahaha! Oh sweet god, my sides!"

Vanessa soon hit the floor of the office and was holding her sides while trying her very best to regain control. It didn't help when Harry couldn't restrain himself any longer either, and joined her on the floor adding his own joyous laughter to hers.

Behind his desk sat a slightly embarrassed but thoroughly amused Albus Dumbledore.

"I must take it I rarely swore in the past?"

Harry nodded and climbed back into his chair, though he was holding his sides in an attempt to stem the laughter.

"You were always the image of serenity, with the exception of a few moments"

"I see… but returning to the topic at hand. Quirrel will be dealt with when the time is right. What troubles you faced in second year I think we will deal with then, for now I think you both need to return to your lessons. Unless of course, Harry, you have more to tell me?"

Vanessa had managed to climb back into her own chair and was back to holding her beloved's hand. Harry though was looking like he was scrambling through his memories. So many of them had been locked away so they wouldn't haunt him at night, unlocking them all was a tedious process.

"We have a few moments to ourselves, Albus. When Ace gets like that he usually stays still for a few minutes"

Albus nodded, then turned his entire focus onto young Vanessa.

"So Vanessa, I would like to hear just what it was you and Harry did before you came back… and perhaps what has left Harry with such a deep hatred in his heart"

Vanessa took a deep breath. This was going to be hard one to explain, she only had second-hand knowledge from Ace but it should be enough. She just hoped the old man's heart could hold to learning about their occupation.

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**A/N: Been gone a while, had some shit to deal with. I'm back an doing chapters, won't know when the next one is out but such is life. Hope everyone has been good in my absence and enjoyed the other good fanfiction pieces.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**

**PS: While we are here. I know I have grammatical errors everywhere, but this story is written because I enjoy it and have the time. Mistakes happen and I wont read the chapter through more than 2 times to find mistakes. So if anything gets by after 2 run downs... too bad.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Hitmen? By Merlin… the savior of the wizarding world… thrown out like a common rag"

Albus leaned back in his chair, a heavy feeling settling in his stomach. It was almost too much to be told that young Harry had gone through so much in his life, only to end up on such a dangerous side of the world.

"Good ones too, sir. Ace and I were some of the best, just look at the last job we pulled before being blown to pieces"

"And what job would that be, Miss Weaver?"

"We killed the crown-princess of Britain"

"You did what?!"

"Got paid real good too. Shame we didn't have time to spend any of the money"

Vanessa saw how Dumbledore looked at her in shock. A bit of fear and disappointment haunting his aging eyes as well.

"Spare me the looks, Albus. You don't know what the world had become in between Ace getting kicked out of your world, and him firing that bullet. But while we are on the subject of time… something has been bothering me"

"What would that be, Miss Weaver?"

"Everything is different now… I mean I know I wasn't a witch last time around. So why am I one now? Adding to that, why did you suddenly become so smart and careful, no offense of course, while the other version of you was apparently a bumbling fool?"

The old headmaster looked pensive for a moment, almost like he was debating with himself about whatever or not to tell the young girl the information she was seeking.

"Yes I am quite curious about that myself"

Harry had apparently come back out from his little trance and was not looking at Albus with a questioning look.

"Hmm… very well, I suppose it wouldn't do us much good to hide it anyway. When a soul is given a rebirth, it sends ripples out through time. Old mistakes are corrected and new are put in place to keep the balance. In this case it would seem that young Vanessa was made a Witch to help you Harry, with your mission. My own stoic personality I cannot directly explain, perhaps some part in my past is different as a result of you getting sent back, or perhaps it is because two rebirth victims are within the same lifespan. All of these are potential reasons, but the only person who could tell you the exact details is the one that sent you back. And as I have gathered, they aren't ones to talk"

Harry and Vanessa stared at Dumbledore in wonder. It was certainly incredible to think that there could be so many reasons, but Harry had locked on to one very specific part of what Dumbledore had said.

"What do you mean "they", Albus?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry with a curious glance, that familiar grandfatherly twinkle in his eyes.

"There is more than just the one you met, Harry. If my old memory isn't failing me, I was sent back by a lovely young woman named Cecelia. I have, of course, tried to come into contact with her again over these many years… sadly the closest I have ever come was a note saying "_stop poking around in the afterlife and enjoy your life you old goat_""

Vanessa looked on amused, while Harry looked more annoyed than anything else. He had hoped that perhaps Dumbledore would know a way to come back into contact with John…

"Is there something unique about to rebirth victims being alive at the same time, Albus?" asked Vanessa with curiosity

"It is a rare event. To my knowledge there have only been three other known instances. The first is long, long ago, too long for anyone to have recorded it properly, only rumors had reached my old ears. The second time was with the first Magical human and a Dwarf, don't' ask. Then the latest instance, short of our own, was with Merlin and Arthur"

"And I take it that, with all three, the situation developed quite strangely?" drawled Harry in an annoyed tone

"I cannot answer for the first instance, but the second one between the human and Dwarf is the reason the Dwarfs no longer welcomes humans into their cities. And if one is to believe what Merlin left behind, if it wasn't for both him and Arthur coming back as they did… well… Arthur would have married Morgan le Fay."

The news seemed… interesting to Harry, he hadn't known about the Dwarfs in his past life. And Arthur marrying Morgan le Fay… the world would have looked quite a bit different would it not?

"So we are looking at, potentially, everything being different from before. Which means that a lot of the knowledge I have could be obsolete, but it also means that we might have to move earlier on what knowledge I hope will hold up." Summed up Harry

"What knowledge would that be, Harry?" inquired Dumbledore, with a bit of parchment ready to note down

"The location of all seven Horcruxes, what currently is in the Chamber of Secrets, the location of a known traitor and finally… the prophecy in the Department of Mysteries" listed Harry with a pensive expression

"Traitor?" mused Dumbledore

"Peter Pettigrew is currently residing with the Weasley family, posing as their pet rat Scabbers" replied Harry with a shrug

Dumbledore almost jumped out of his chair, visible glee on his face mixed with quite a bit of relief.

"Finally! We must make haste; the faster we can capture him the sooner we can get Sirius out of Azkaban. No time to waste my boy!" exclaimed Dumbledore halfway to the door

"Someone explain for the one without knowledge of the timeline!?" yelled Vanessa in annoyance

Dumbledore stopped in his tracks and turned around with a sheepish expression. Harry gave a low chuckle as he squeezed Vanessa's hand.

"My God-father is wrongly imprisoned for betraying my parent's location to Voldemort. The real culprit is Peter Pettigrew, another wizard" said Harry with a grin

"What young Mr. Potter is forgetting to add is that Sirius was also imprisoned for the murder of twelve muggles and Peter himself. The Order worked tirelessly for years to prove that Sirius would never harm James and Lily… sadly we could never acquire the crucial proof. Until now!" declared Dumbledore in triumph

Harry rose from his chair with a sigh, when he looked upon the older wizard; Dumbledore felt the weight of Harry's older mind on his shoulders.

"Albus, trust me that there is no one I want to help more right now than Sirius… but we can't. When we have claimed the Horcruxes and locked them away safely… then, and only then, can we capture Pettigrew and free Sirius"

Dumbledore seemed to deflate, his old age so much more present. The aged headmaster made his way back to his chair and slumped down, a now rather tired expression on his face.

"Then let us move along shall we? What are the current locations of the seven Horcruxes?" asked Dumbledore as he picked his quill back up

"There is the Gaunt Family Ring, currently located in the old Gaunt Mansion. Then there is Tom's old Diary, currently in the possession of Lucius Malfoy, but it will come into possession of a student sometime next year. Hufflepuff's cup, which is currently in the vault of Bellatrix Black Lestrange. Ravenclaw's Diadem which lies undisturbed in the room of hidden things. Salazar's locket, which is in the possession of Kreacher, the black family house elf. Then there is Nagini, Voldemort's snake which I am not sure is a Horcrux just yet, so it might buy us some time. Then finally… well there is me, as you well know sir"

Dumbledore quickly noted down all the locations before another issue presented itself.

"Do you have a method of destroying the Horcruxes? The ones I know are a tad… excessive"

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment again before snapping his fingers and smiling widely.

"The Goblins! I didn't know this before everything was over, but the Goblins can remove the soul fragment and destroy it with a ritual. As an added bonus it even leaves the object intact, so if we swing this right we might be able to get all four of the founders relics back in Hogwarts possession"

Dumbledore looked almost gleeful at the thought of once more housing all four of the relics, it had been a small dream of his to once more be able to present them in the great hall like the days of old.

"Would they be willing to help us?"

"Goblins will do anything for gold, add onto that their hate for Horcruxes and I think we can make a pretty good deal. If we are lucky then telling them that there is a Horcrux in Bellatrix's vault might be just the in we need."

Dumbledore's head was swimming with all the possabilites that they now had. All of this information and knowledge was just making it seem like there might be hope. But first things first, they were still students after all.

"I think I have kept you long enough for now. Return to your classes and we will speak again, I shall contact the goblins in the meanwhile"

Harry thanked the old headmaster and walked out with Vanessa moments later. They were going to be so late to Transfiguration, thankfully McGonagall had escorted them to the meeting so they should be safe from detention… should.

The two calmly knocked and walked into the ongoing class. They quickly saw how everyone was trying to transform a match into a needle, the instruction for which was on the board.

'_So we missed the lecture on Transfiguration… oh woe is me'_ thought Harry sarcastically as he nodded to McGonagall and guided Vanessa and him to a few seats in the back.

McGonagall quickly approached them with a match for each of them, and after a quick explanation left them to their work. Though she had to do a quick turn when she heard Harry mutter something, closely followed by young Vanessa muttering "showoff"

When she turned Harry was sitting with a perfect needle in front of him. Her eyes bugged out even further when Harry began transfiguring the needle into various other smaller objects, like a pencil and a quill, before finally turning it back into a needle and then ending at a match.

"Impossible…" muttered McGonagall to herself before she regained her wits "20 points to Ravenclaw for that fantastic display Mr. Potter, would you like to tell me how you managed that?"

Harry looked down at his match, then up at McGonagall like she was stupid, then back down to the match before swearing in his mind… he overdid it again, didn't he?

"I don't know what to say professor, is it not simply to get a firm image in your mind of what you wish the object to become, and then guide your magic to make the change? It seems so rather simple" answered Harry with his best "confused child" look

McGonagall was staring at Harry with wide eyes, could she really just have found the next Transfigurations prodigy? Shaking herself of the thought she nodded her acceptance of the answer and then moved on with the lesson. Of course she didn't see the smug look on Harry's face whenever a certain brown bushy haired girl sent glares after him for beating her at something academic.

When the lesson ran to a close, Harry and Vanessa made their way towards the great hall for lunch. Afterwards there would be Charms and then, thankfully, they would be off for the day. Which would finally allow Harry to take a little trip he had wanted to make ever since coming back.

Lunch was an entirely too dull affair. The only thing that was worth nothing was when Harry stared into the eyes of Quirrel for a moment to check for Voldemort, only to find him not there at the present moment… perhaps this time Voldemort hadn't possessed the stuttering professor?

Choosing to ignore it, Harry spend most of his lunch speaking with Vanessa in Mandarin as to ensure their conversation wouldn't be overheard… though it certainly did turn some heads when two eleven year olds were yapping away in Mandarin.

When Charms finally rolled around, Harry actually felt a slight shiver of excitement. He had always liked charms, and Filius was without a doubt one of the greatest teachers he had ever had. So there was a lot to look forward to this lesson, if he could just restrain himself from showing off.

"Welcome everyone, to your first Charms lesson. Today we will be learning the levitation charm, also known as "Wingardium Leviosa" to make objects levitate. The wand movement is a simple swish and flick followed by the words "Wingardium Leviosa." Now don't be discouraged if you don't get it right away, like with all magic it takes practice and time." Instructed Filius with clear excitement in his voice before he made the appropriate wand movement and spoke clearly "Wingardium Leviosa" and made his feather fly up into the air.

"Now you should all have a feather in front of you, let's see how far you can get in shall we say thirty minutes?" suggested the small charms professor.

Everyone quickly began muttering and flailing their wands around, in the hopes of making their feather levitate off the table. Filius saw plenty of mistakes but was firmly of the belief that everyone should be allowed to make a few attempts before he would step in.

Though his attention quickly fell upon young Harry, who was in fact not trying to perform the spell himself, rather he seemed quite absorbed by teaching young Miss Weaver how to perform the spell correctly. A respectable goal, if he could perform the spell himself.

"Mr. Potter, it is certainly great that you wish to help your friend, but perhaps you should perform the spell successfully first?" suggested the small professor with a large smile

Harry looked around for a moment and saw how Hermione looked positively giddy at the thought of Harry screwing up. He just shrugged before looking down at Filius and muttering "Sure." He then grabbed his wand and made the correct motion and sent the feather flying around the room… only afterwards did he realize that he had forgotten one crucial part of the spell…_ the incantation_.

"By Merlin's beard… your first attempt and even silent… 30 points to Ravenclaw for that astounding display of magic Mr. Potter!" exclaimed Filius in excitement, young Harry was looking to be just as gifted as Lily in the art of Charms work.

Harry kept his head down for the rest of the lesson, though he couldn't help himself from teaching Vanessa just how to cast the spell non-verbally just like himself. It really was just a matter of learning how to guide your magic without using words as a focus.

When the class ended Vanessa stayed behind to speak with Filius about Charms, she had gotten a taste for the art and wanted to know more. Harry, in turn, made his way to his room and made sure he was alone before breathing deeply, focusing his magic.

When he reopened his eyes they were roaring with emerald flames as Harry's magic was running on all cylinders to perform the act which Harry was attempting.

"_Brocéliande…_" Harry breathed the words and slowly he began fading away into nothingness as his spell carried him across the world to this ancient forest, and the home of his staff maker.

* * *

**A/N: Well now... that took a while. Meh, i didn't have the time so yeah... Hope you all are having a good time doing, whatever it is you're doing. I'm going to crawl back into my padded cell and try and study up for my exams by smashing my head against the wall.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Fair warning, in this chapter the M-rating comes into play since there is mentions of nudity and sex. No actual described lemony goodness yet, but maybe in the future.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any associated products, those belong to J.K Rowling.**

* * *

The forest around here was dense… uncommonly so. Any one person who studied botany or something equal would simply suggest that this was an oddity of the forest itself. Can't really fault a normy for not realizing that this entire part of the forest was protected by magic older than the first Wizards.

It was here that Harry seemed to fade back into existence. As soon as he had fully materialized, Harry fell to his knees as he tried desperately to catch his breath.

"Urgh… I hate warping…" he mumbled as he felt his lunch threatening to make a grand reappearance.

He forced himself to his feet and looked around; the area wasn't much different from his original visit to it. In fact… the place looked to have aged remarkably in his absence.

"_Well, well, well… the prestigious child returns…"_ came a voice from the trees

Harry felt himself being forced back to his knees. A magical presence enveloped him and cold sweat broke over his entire body.

"_Surely the child isn't so foolish as to have lost his staff? Not after I went to such great __**lengths**__ to make it for him?" _asked the voice in an almost teasing tone

Harry's vision had begun fading, his breathing was growing shallower by the second and he could have sworn that he felt a hand around his throat.

"Please… Mistress Amorpha… *cough* I did not intend to lose your gift" coughed Harry with the last of his strength

Thankfully he felt the hold around his neck loosen and the magical presence around him seemed to subside a little, just enough for him to regain his bearings and catch his breath.

"_Poor misguided child… I warned you that trusting the glutton would end in disaster… why did you not listen to your sweet mistress when she so graciously went out of her way to gleam the time stream to give you that warning?" _inquired the voice in a tone that mixed disappointment and ridicule

Harry didn't stand up again; rather instead he knelt even further down until his head touched the ground.

"I was young and foolish, my mistress, but I promise you I will **not** make the same mistake again…" replied Harry

From the shadows of the trees a figure emerged. It was a woman. The woman was 10 feet tall with obsidian black skin. Her hair was silver and flowed all the way down to her ankles. Her face was beautiful and calm but held a sharp edge that warned of danger, her pointy ears only adding to the effect. Though her eyes were perhaps her most daunting feature… they were blood red… nothing else, the entirety of her eyes were the same crimson color as the lifeblood that ran in Harry's veins.

She wore a silken sash that draped around her neck and down over her shapely breasts, the sash continued down and followed her sex around and between her soft butt cheeks, up her curved back until it finally reconnected with itself again at the slender neck of the woman. The sash itself was also a fantastic luminescent silver color which also gave it a transparent feature, thus allowing the woman's dark gray nipples to be seen through the thin fabric, much like her silver haired sex.

This woman was Amorpha, queen of the Dark Elves and ruler of the Ashwoods which Harry now stood in. Harry had met her in his previous life where he had gone through great lengths to have his staff built from the core of an Ash Oak, the symbol of Amorpha.

"_You are right young child… you will __**never**__ make such a mistake again. For if you do, I shall claim more than what was promised me the last time"_

Amorpha walked forward and placed her hand on Harry's jaw, lifting him up to a standing position before she locked her eyes with the young Wizard.

Harry felt as if his mind was on fire as Amorpha displayed fully how displeased she was at his loss of his staff. When the torture was finally at an end, Harry dared not fall to his knees, fearing his mistress reaction.

"_Hmm… now you are certainly too young for me to claim __**proper**__ restitution for your transgression. So I guess I will settle for something more… simple"_

A cold chill went down Harry's spine at the tone of his mistress. Had he only returned when he was of proper age he could have satisfied her urges and gotten away scot free. But no, he absolutely had to show up while he was still eleven…

"_That girl that was sent back with you… you will make a future with her. I can see much come from that union, especially after she receives her own staff, built by me of course, so I think the price would be fitting. Your first born son shall be given to me; he shall be my servant through his youth and my personal pleasure tool for the remainder of his days. That sounds fair for breaking one of my creations, does it not, my little child?"_

Amorpha then locked eyes with Harry again. He saw everything… Amorpha allowed him a small glimpse into the future and he saw his son, a strong boy, serving Amorpha and her council as she spoke on the current matters. The image then shifted to Amorpha's personal bedchamber, he saw his son underneath the Dark Elf queen and heard her cries of passion.

But he saw something else, something Amorpha surely had not intended for him to see. He saw his son, standing tall in armor darker than the void itself, wielding a lance granted only to the strongest of the Obsidian Guard. Next to him sat Amorpha in her throne, a small child with the same emerald orbs as Harry's own but skin as black as obsidian.

When Harry was thrust back into his own body, Amorpha thought the image sufficient for Harry to realize just what he had given up when he had smashed that staff against the pavement. Of course she didn't realize that she had also showed him the next Queen of the Dark Elven people, her own daughter… with Harry's son as the father.

"_I take it you understand my price?_"

Harry nodded once but kept his gaze firmly downward. He did not want to risk Amorpha seeing his smile, lest tipping her off that the deal had somehow turned in Harry's favor.

"I understand my mistress, and worry not. I shall convince my love to give up our son"

Satisfied that her price would be paid, Amorpha walked over to a tree and gently kissed it before apologizing. She then lifted her hand and smashed it into the tree itself, all the way to the core. When she ripped her hand out of the tree, she held in her hand a light gray staff that was approximately 4 feet in length with a spiral motif attached to the head of the staff.

"_Behold young child, __**Thymea, Heart of the Forest**_. _This is the staff that my ancestors used to shape the Ashwoods to what they are today. It is a sign of unity for the Dark Elves and the greatest weapon the royal house wields. Use it well, Harry, for Thymea will not serve those of a dark heart."_

Reaching forward with shaky hands, Harry accepted the staff from Amorpha.

As soon as his hands grasped around the wood he felt a surge of power. For one glorious moment he felt as if he was one with the entirety of the Ashwoods. He could even feel the heart of Amorpha standing right next to him. How could she trust him with such power?

"My Mistress… not that I seek to belittle the gift you have granted… but why would you trust me, a mere mortal, with such great power?"

Harry felt his heart stop as Amorpha began laughing. It was as if the entire forest laughed with her, and her heavenly voiced carried higher and further than he had ever thought possible. He could even feel Thymea in his hand responding to the call of its queen.

"_For a reason I cannot fathom, the Divines chose you to be reborn once more, my child. If the Divines trusted you with a second chance, then I shall ensure that you will not need a third."_

Harry bowed deeply in thanks, he could not put words onto his gratitude. Though there was one thing that kept nagging him in the back of his mind, something he felt was wrong.

"_Your mind is too easily read, young child. Though the Divines have the power to send souls back through the time stream, they hold no power over the Ashwoods. Here only the Dark Elves and our Goddess rule, here only the Goddess may change the flow of time. That is why I can remember our last encounter. That is why I trust you with Thymea. Make me proud, Harry Potter, herald of the Goddess."_

With those words Harry felt his body being twisted and turned once more as he faded from the Ashwoods and back to where he originally departed.

Moments later, Harry reappeared in his dorm room, thankfully still alone. When he glanced at the time he realized that it was nearing dinner, and a few people probably wondered just where he hand vanished off to.

He felt a ripple in his hand and looked down upon Thymea as it shrunk slowly until it took on the shape of a regular ask gray wand with the same spiral design as it had in staff form.

"Neat" muttered Harry as he replaced his old wand with Thymea.

He looked down upon the supposed brother wand to Voldemort's own. He contemplated just throwing the thing in the black lake like he originally planned. But keeping this one around and just pretending to use it might be a better idea than flat out using a new wand that no one knows how he got.

Harry then quickly made his way down to the great hall, hoping to catch dinner. Thankfully he was right on time and he quickly found Vanessa sitting at the end of the table, holding a spot for him. He barely managed to sit down before Vanessa spoke.

"Where the hell have you been for the last few hours? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"I went to get something back which I had lost. I should have told you I was going but I was under a bit of time pressure. Did I miss something important?"

Vanessa seemed to relax once she realized he hadn't run of to do something stupid. She then put on a smile as she remembered what she had spoken with Professor Flitwick about.

"Yes I spoke with Flitwick after class and he seems to agree that I have a talent in charms. If I keep showing promise and improve he will consider me for the advanced classes. Aside from that… well the loud red-head got into a fight with the blonde ponce, aside from that… nothing."

"The part with Flitwick is fantastic, and with a bit of my help I'm sure you can get into those advanced classes quickly. The part about Ron and Draco doesn't surprise me; those two would probably hate each other in any timeline."

They then both fell into small talk as the food was served. Though through the entire dinner, Harry was trying to come up with a way to tell Vanessa about his visit to Amorpha… hell… he had to explain just who Amorpha was and how the Dark Elves fit into all of this too… great.

* * *

After Dinner Harry and Vanessa was called back up to Dumbledore's office to continue their chat. Though this time they could go on their own as they already knew the password for the day. Once they had entered the office, Dumbledore quickly conjured two chairs and gestured for them to sit down.

"Let's not waste any time. I have contacted the goblins regarding our problem and they are willing to speak with us sometime next month. From there I'm sure we can work out a schedule and proper planning for the location and safekeeping of the remaining Horcruxes until such a time when the goblins can destroy them."

Dumbledore opened the meeting with a bit of good news, hoping balance out any bad news that might follow either from Harry or himself.

"Well knowing my luck they will choose sometime around Halloween or some such equal stupidity. But it is good that they will even speak with us… I feared much worse too be honest."

Added Harry with a relieved sigh, he had honestly thought that the Goblins weren't going to accept a meeting with Wizard over something the Wizard considered a problem.

"But all else aside, how will you keep the Horcruxes safe once we collect them?"

"In all fairness, Albus I had considered simply waiting for next year to arrive, that way we can rid ourselves of the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets while also getting access to Slytherin's private chambers that he had built into the Chamber. Then we could use the Chamber to contain the Horcruxes until the time is right."

Dumbledore seemed to think it over for a while before nodding to himself. It was a good plan and it would allow them a bit of leeway to change their plans should something unexpected turn up. Now they just had to hold out this year, and hopefully get through everything without much trouble.

"Sounds like a plan Ace, now we just need to work over some of the smaller kinks in our lives. Namely the fact that you still need to contact your Aunt sometime before summer, I need to speak with my parents about a few details and then we should be good."

Harry rubbed his head tiredly "*Yawn* Yeah but we still have a year to work out all the details. If Voldemort posses Quirrel them my scar should let us know and then we can plan accordingly. But if anything else I think I would like to go to sleep now… I'm kind of tired."

"Of course, of course. You two scuttle off to bed, after all tomorrow is a school day."

After a quick exchange of pleasantries the two kids were on their way to their respective dorms to catch some shut eye. But when they finally got that far, Harry knew that he wasn't going to be getting much sleep. Whenever Amorpha had messed around in his mind he always had the weirdest dreams, quite often involving Amorpha herself and one of her many, _many_ private perverse desires.

Harry was as usual correct and his night was filled with the image and sounds of a lustful Amorpha that certainly didn't spare any detail in how she wished to have her way with Harry, just like the first time they had met and he had "convinced" her to build his staff from her Ask Oak.

Of course Amorpha couldn't resist a good chance to jumble Harry's mind a little, so she had apparently included some rather interesting dream sequences involving Harry strapped to a chair and Vanessa doing some, by the look and sound of Amorpha, pleasurable things to his mistress.

Finally Harry was allowed to wake back up and he was for once quite happy that he remembered to put up every form of security charm that he had learned over the years. Because he wasn't really sure if he wanted his dorm mates to see him with a raging hard on from this early in the morning, though he had to do something about it before taking a shower because he was _not_ listening to whatever stupid attempts at making jokes the upper years were going to try.

So it was roughly an hour later when Harry made his way into the Great Hall and found his usual spot next to Vanessa who looked him over once and then put on a pout of betrayal.

"What's wrong?" asked Harry as he grabbed his glass and took a swig of juice

"_You went and wanked without me? That's so unfair, Ace! You know it's my time of the month!"_ replied Vanessa in Mandarin, which caused poor Harry to rather forcefully spray his newly drunk juice over the table. Thankfully no one was seated opposite of him yet, so only the table and bench got drenched in pumpkin juice.

"_Well… there were some circumstances that kind of forced my hand… so to speak"_ replied Harry in shaky Mandarin

"_Those __**circumstances**__ wouldn't happen to have something to with a hot elf with black skin and red eyes would it?_" asked Vanessa in a tone that Harry had heard too many times in his life, it was time fess up or lose his bits.

* * *

**A/N: Well... two in one day, what do you know. Honestly people, hitting my head against the wall of my cell only did so much. In fact it just shook some ideas loose which made me write some more. Also i have recently made contact with the Moose, he has an odd fascination with red wallpaper.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	9. Chapter 9

**Before the Rebirth**

2 weeks, 3 days, 7 hours and 42 minutes. That was how long Harry potter had spent in a magically induced coma after his surgery. When he woke up he had released a blood freezing scream that almost blew the windows out of the building.

He was swarmed by nurses and doctors in no time as they tried to figure out just what had gone wrong with their unknown resident. When Harry had calmed down enough he had blamed it on a mixture of a nightmare and phantom pain from his eye, thankfully the doctors bought it.

After that, Harry had spent almost a month in the hospital trying to figure out what to do now. Thankfully he had managed to keep his feather hidden from the hospital staff.

He stroked the lone feather up its sides and relished the comforting feeling it brought him. The feather itself belonged to a Silver Phoenix that Harry had met during his fourth year. He had been talking a walk around the Black lake to clear his thoughts about the tournament when he had found the ashes of the creature.

Of course he couldn't leave the newborn phoenix somewhere this dangerous so Harry had brought it up to the Owlery and asked Hedwig to protect the young Phoenix until it was old enough to fly out on its own again. It had only taken a month before the beautiful creature had taken flight and left behind that feather for Harry.

Of course looking at the feather he couldn't help but to remember just what purpose it had served him two years later during his sixth year, when he had first discovered the Ashwoods and the hidden realm of the Dark Elves.

Harry smiled at the thought of Amorpha; the queen had done much for him. The crafting of his staff, the least of the boons she granted him. His cheeks flushed at the thought of some of the more… _fascinating_ boons that Amorpha had showed him.

*plumf* Harry fell back into his pillow. Such thought really wasn't smart to entertain when one was still in the hospital. He had heard some crazy stories about guys getting caught by their heart monitor.

'_Just where the hell am I supposed to go now? The Ashwoods are out of the question, Amorpha will kill me once she realizes I broke the staff'_

With a sigh Harry finally stood up from the bed and stretched, thankful that his clothes were right next to the bed, allowing him to get dressed quickly and be on his way. Two minutes later and the John Doe that had inhabited the hospital was making his way out of the doors, invisible to all muggles.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he stood out on the streets of London and looked towards the sky. The sky was blue with naught a cloud in sight.

He was free…

Such an odd feeling. He could go wherever, do whatever and no one would come for him. But where to start, somewhere magical would be preferred since he would like to be able to use his magic, but he could deal with doing less magic and sticking to the muggle areas.

"Oi, you 'arry Potter?" asked a gruff voice

Looking around, Harry tried to identify the source of the voice. Only when he looked down did he see the speaker. It was a house elf… a really dirty and by the looks of it… drunk house elf?

"Yeah, I'm Harry"

"Gringotts want to see ye, somthin' about your inheritance"

"Ehh… thanks? Who are you anyway?"

The elf puffed out his chest for a moment in pride "I'm Ulhes, personal elf to the Lady le Fay" and with those words the elf popped away, leaving Harry with house jaw slack and a million to two questions.

With a shake of his head, Harry decided to head off to Gringotts; better not keep the goblins waiting. So with a silent pop, Harry apparated right to the doors of Gringotts and spared no time in heading inside. Only to be met by a contingent of spears pointing in his direction…

"Halt there human! State your business or lose your head!" commanded the foremost Goblin

"I'm Harry Potter and I believe I was summoned"

The spears lowered slowly before a goblin came down from one of the desks and walked over towards them with a scroll on hand.

"It checks out, Lord Potter is here to see Hookfang" said the goblin

The spears were fully parted, allowing Harry to step forward and follow the goblin that spoke before. He was quickly led out towards the back and into a small office where a chair stood waiting for him.

"Sit Mr. Potter, we have much to discuss today" came a rather impatient voice

Moments later a goblin stepped out from one of the side doors in the office, he had a large scar running down over his left eye, which seemed to render it blind.

Harry of course did as asked and sat down and patiently waited for the goblin to go through the documents on his desk, something that wasn't missed by Hookfang.

"Well Mr. Potter first I do believe a congratulations is in order. Though Gringotts isn't happy with your break in, we do see your reason. Though for future reference Mr. Potter, if you merely told us that there was a Horcrux in our vaults we would have sought out the item and destroyed it ourselves." Began Hookfang

Harry gave a nervous chuckle at the mention of his earlier break in, which lead him to another thought.

"If you will allow me, what happened to Griphook?"

"Hurmpf, that traitor was executed for his actions. Much as he might always have intended to double-cross you, he still agreed to go against Gringotts for however short a moment. He paid the price for his betrayal."

Harry nodded but couldn't disguise his obvious discomfort at the thought. After all at this point he was still a far cry from the man he was going to become someday.

"Then perhaps it is time for business?"

Hookfang gave a hearty laugh at the young wizards attitude, straight to business, that was just how goblins liked to work.

"Well Mr. Potter, as you are the last living heir the Potter family that has not been cast out. As such you are obligated to take up your head of house and become Lord Potter. That is what we are here for today, as well as to go over some of your acquisitions due to this new position."

The thought of taking up his house lordship was certainly enticing, but Harry had no intention of returning to the wizarding world for now. The hole in his skull made sure of that.

"Tell me, Hookfang, say that I should not wish to be a part of the wizarding world for a while… would that impact my lordship?"

Hookfang sudden grew a vicious grin, he could tell where the young wizard was going. And if the two shared even a few thoughts, then the goblins were being given a chance to stick it to the ministry big time.

"I would say that it shouldn't change anything. Of course there is a few details that would be needed to be filed with ministry, of course Gringotts can take care of that for you. But of course most of our submitted documents get lost in the department for magical creatures… so it would perhaps take a while before the ministry even realizes that Harry Potter has become Lord Potter"

Harry's own grin now matched Hookfang's, a scary thing that really shouldn't be possible.

"Well Hookfang, I would say we have ourselves a course of action then. And of course the goblins will take a fee that they see _fitting_ from my vaults for this service. Now you said that I was the last Potter that was _not_ thrown out of the family. Does this mean I have other relations aside from my Aunt Petunia?"

Hookfang grinned as he pulled out a set of papers and began writing down the details for the ministry, at the same time he answered young Harry's question.

"You have another Aunt. Your Grand-father had many mistresses during his life, and one of these affairs resulted in a child. Annabeth Potter was never formally recognized as part of the Potter bloodline, but your grand-father insisted she carried his name. Currently she lives in Italy with her daughter, Celeste Potter."

Harry felt as if someone had slugged him in the jaw. He had family… living breathing family that wasn't the Dursleys… why was he never told?

"How come I was never informed of this?"

"Miss Potter is one of our most prestigious customers in the Italian branch of Gringotts. So per her request we never divulged to anyone here in Britain her location or current status. This reminds me Mr. Potter, we have a letter for you. We were instructed to forward it to you when a time arrived where you could act on the information in the letter." Hookfang said as he pulled out a letter from a folder on his desk and handed it to Harry

When Harry looked down upon the letter he didn't see a name or a return address. On the back of it was a seal he didn't recognize. He quickly pried the letter open and read it.

_To my dearest nephew,_

_I'm so sorry that I am not able to raise you. But wizarding Britain would have my own and my family's heads if they found out that I had taken you to Italy. _

_I wish for you to know that you will __**always**__ be welcome in the Potter Mansion here in Italy. Gringotts can provide you with a portkey should you wish it. There will be a room waiting for you, alongside a loving family that can't wait to meet you._

_Be well Harry, and remember I love you and can't wait to meet you.  
Annabeth Potter_

_Ps: I have so much to tell you._

Harry put down the letter with shaky hands. It wasn't much or very informative… but he could feel the sincerity of the words. He had a family somewhere waiting for him…

"Hookfang… the portkey mentioned in the letter?"

A moment later a small silver coin was placed on the table, it held the potter crest and along the border the words _"We do not fear death, we welcome him like an old friend" _could be read. Harry didn't know what they meant but he could feel something deep inside him stir as he read it.

"The activation phrase is "_Welcome home"_"

Harry nodded in acceptance and clutched the coin tighter in his hands, fearing it might vanish if he let go.

"Was there anything else, Hookfang?" asked Harry, clearly excited at the prospect of meeting his family

Hookfang pulled out a box and opened it to reveal the Potter family ring.

"Put this on and you will officially be Lord Potter, anything else we can take at a later date or we can forward it to the Italian branch if you prefer."

Harry took the ring with a shaky hand and placed it on his finger. It quickly tightened around his finger before a flash of light erupted and enveloped Harry for a short moment before ebbing away once more.

"Congratulations… Lord Potter" said Hookfang with a smile

"Thank you, Hookfang. And I thank you for the assistance you have given to me and my family… may your gold continue to flow and your ventures be fruitful"

Hookfang almost fell out of his chair when Harry used the goblin greeting, but managed to hold his mask long enough to return the greeting just as Harry spoke again.

"Forward the rest of the paperwork to Italy, I shall speak with the manager of family's vaults about the remaining issues and assets I have acquired… now, now I want to go meet my family."

Harry then stood and gave a bow to the goblin which was quickly returned. A large smile then erupted on the young Wizard's face as he spoke "Welcome home"

Harry felt a tug as the portkey transported him across the world. When he landed he was standing in the middle of a luxurious living room and the Italian heat suddenly hit him head on.

"Harry…?"

* * *

**A/N: Another pre-rebirth chapter. Yay.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Fair warning in this chapter for religious people. There will be talk about God and heaven and hell in this chapter. I'm certain that some will feel offended about the way I speak about the Christian belief, understand it was not meant to do so and I have merely changed it to fit the story.**

**Enjoy the chapter people.**

* * *

**After the Rebirth**

"_Those __**circumstances**__ wouldn't happen to have something to with a hot elf with black skin and red eyes would it?_"

Harry felt like slamming his head into the table. Of course Amorpha wouldn't have let him postpone his suffering for a while. He was slowly trying to figure a way out of this issue that didn't involve a violent maiming by his beloved counterpart.

"_After breakfast, this is going to be a longer explanation_" replied Harry in Mandarin

"_You better, Ace"_

The two then returned to their breakfast, though Harry could feel Vanessa trying to drill a hole in his skull throughout breakfast.

The day then began to pass and the two went through their classes one by one. Though Harry really was starting to get annoyed with Vanessa's constant glaring, he knew that he might have kept a few things hidden but damnit the woman was starting to grate on his nerves of steel!

So Harry did the only thing he could think of, he dragged Vanessa into the nearest broom cuppoard and sealed the door with so much magic that even Dumbledore would have to strain himself when attempting to open it.

"Okay woman, what the hell is your problem today!? I know I have kept secrets before, so why is this one so bloody special?" asked Harry with bare contained anger

Vanessa looked at him strangely for a moment, as if she was surprised by his rather sudden outburst.

"Wrong with me? You are the one that decided to sleep around with some strange woman that I don't even know what to call her!" yelled Vanessa, anger making her magic flare about her.

"Sl-Sleep around!? God damnit woman, I slept with Amorpha when I was still in my sixth year originally. If I'm not wrong then that is a good few years before you and I were even introduced" returned Harry with a growl

"Don't you fucking dare lie to me Ace! I saw it clear as fucking day myself, that crazy bitch even had the fucking gall to show me a vision of her and I going at it!" Vanessa's voice was beginning to echo slightly as her magical aura began turning a dangerous black color

Har… _Ace_ looked ready to hit her right in the jaw for that particular little piece of commentary, Vanessa even expected it to happen. Surprising both of them, Ace decided that rather than punching his love he would do the sensible thing, so he grabbed both sides of her head and slammed their lips together in a kiss that didn't befall anyone _below_ the age of twenty-one.

When the two finally separated tears were falling from Vanessa's cheeks as her young eleven year old body reacted much harder to the display of affection than her thirty- two year old body did.

"Now will you let me explain just what my connection is to Amorpha, and what the images she showed you meant?" asked Ace with a calm tone

"*Cough* Am I interrupting?" asked a new voice

Both of the occupants of the broom closet turned and looked towards the wall where the voice had come from, only to see that the entire wall was gone and in its place was an open door leading to a completely white office.

Inside the office was a single desk with two comfortable leather chairs in front of it. Behind the desk sat a woman that Harry recognized quite easily.

"Huh, your John's secretary or something right?" asked Harry

The woman nodded and gestured for both of them to step inside "That is correct Mr. Potter. Though I am not his secretary, I'm his co-worker. I merely found you on the floor, in honesty you should have made your own way to his office"

"Oh… thank you for that then" muttered Harry as he sat down with Vanessa

"Don't mention it, Mr. Potter. Now the reason I'm here is to, first, tell you both congratulations on your soul bonding" the woman saw both of them looking at her a little strangely "A soul bond is, simply put, when two souls are so intertwined that they follow one another even after death. John was quite impressed by that little stunt Mr. Potter"

"Wait, I did it?" asked Harry in clear confusion

"*Nod* though not on purpose of that I'm sure. Your love for young Miss Weaver was simply strong enough for you to pull her soul out of hell and back to earth with you" replied the woman with a smile

"Hold a moment! I went to hell?!" yelled Vanessa

"… surely you are joking Miss Weaver? You and Mr. Potter here are both on Hell's hiring list. They want you as part of their torture department… though they are a bit cross with Mr. Potter for pulling you out of there before they could even off you the job" replied the woman

"We are on hell's hiring list?" asked Vanessa wide eyed

"And on Heaven's black list for that matter" added the woman

"So we are never getting into heaven?" asked Harry

"You killed God's great-granddaughter less than 24 hours before dying, so no Mr. Potter, you will not be getting into heaven" drawled the woman in reply

"The crown princess of Britain was God's great-granddaughter? Oops…" muttered Harry

"I told you it was a bad job, Ace!" yelled Vanessa

"Wait a moment… was that why the suit looked so close to pissing himself? He knew who we had just offed?" asked Harry

"I assume he did. But could we get back on track then?" asked the woman

"Sorry Miss… ehh what was your name again?" asked Vanessa

"*Sigh* Like with John you wouldn't be able to pronounce my name correctly. Call me Rose if you must call me anything" replied the newly named Rose

"Sorry then, Miss Rose" added Vanessa

"No problem, child. Now back to what I was saying. I'm here to offer my own and most of the Soul Departments thanks for doing something we thought nigh impossible" said Rose

"Ehh for what?" asked Harry

"Due to a choice you made, Mr. Potter, a new soul has been created and will come to us at some point in the future" replied Rose with a smile

"Isn't that a rather normal occurrence? I mean like with children?" asked Vanessa

"Quite, but it is the nature of the child that is unique. You see the soul Department has been trying to get their hands on a soul from the Ashwoods for almost ten millennia. Thanks to your future son, we finally have one" replied Rose with a large smile

"My son?" asked Vanessa clearly confused

"Have you not told her yet, Mr. Potter?" asked Rose

"I was about to when you interrupted me" replied Harry

"Oh… I must apologize for my poor timing then. Do you wish for me to leave for a moment so that you can explain?" inquired Rose with an apologetic look

"No, no I'd rather you stay. You might be able to support what I say, if not actually answer some other questions I have" replied Harry

"Okay I'm about at the edge here" began Vanessa "What is this about our future son and what does it have to do with the vision that Amorpha sent me?"

Harry heaved a large sigh before beginning his explanation. He started out with how he had met Amorpha in his sixth year when he had first run upon the Ashwoods. He then moved on to explain the specifics about his Staff and how he had _paid_ for it with Amorpha.

He then explained the rather hefty price he would have had to pay should he ever break his staff. It was after all a gift from the leader of the Dark Elves. But he had done so none the less and had to face the punishment. He quickly covered what he knew about the Dark Elves being exempt from time and then looked towards Rose.

"The Ashwoods are a separate realm entirely, Mr. Potter. The Soul Department has no jurisdiction over their realm, as Amorpha said to you, only their Goddess may change anything in that realm" supplied Rose

Nodding his thanks for the explanation, Harry continued his own. He covered his trip to the Ashwoods and his encounter with Amorpha, then he reached the part about his punishment and he suddenly fell short of words.

"I don't really know how to say this, other than being painfully blunt. But Amorpha ordered that she be given our first born son in payment for breaking my staff…" said Harry as he finished his tale.

Vanessa's face managed to pass through quite a range of emotions at an impressive rate. Though it was the one that she ended on that had Ace scared… that small smile that never reached her eyes… that never spelled good news for anyone…

"So what you are saying… is that the queen cunt of the dark elves thinks I'm going to be handing over _my son_ to her because she wants me to?" said Vanessa in a sickly sweet tone

Ace had his hands on hers in a moment and gave them a small squeeze as her eyes focused on him.

"My Queen isn't going to hurt him. She has great plans for our son, and it isn't like we won't be allowed to see him. In fact I think that if we chose to move to the Ashwoods when the he was born, then he would be allowed to live with us until he comes of age" said Ace quickly

That didn't seem to help any on Vanessa's current state of mind. In fact the look in her eyes darkened a little as she spoke.

"First off, what's with the "My Queen" business. Secondly, how is that any fucking better than her taking him away from us? We aren't even allowed to see him if we don't move to their stupid world?" inquired Vanessa, her tone now quite a bit darker

"*Sigh* I'm a citizen of the Ashwoods, have been since my sixth year. You didn't think that my Queen would let some random British wizard touch her just like that, or build him a staff for that matter?" replied Ace in his own questioning tone

"Mr. Potter, are you really a citizen of the Ashwoods?" interrupted Rose

"Yes, why?" asked Ace in turn

"Because that would explain why John had to fight for your soul with the Dark Elf Goddess… you know we only managed to reacquire your soul after promising to bring you back to life. Their Goddess was even quite ready to march straight into Hell and inform the current Devil about your *ahem* change in employment" replied Rose with a bit of awe in her voice

"Interesting, really. Getting back to what you asked me, Vanessa. The reason Amorpha wouldn't want us to have him outside of the Ashwoods is because of who he is going to become. If any other the Ashwoods enemies found out, he would be targeted by all of them" said Ace

"And pray tell, Ace, who is our son going to become?" asked Vanessa, venom lacing her voice

"I don't know his name for obvious reasons, but he will be the captain of the Obsidian Guard, the personal bodyguard of Queen Amorpha… and the prince consort to the Dark Elven people, and father of their next queen" replied Ace with a passive voice

Vanessa seemed to digest that information for a while, her expression never changing.

"I don't like this, Ace. Not one bit. So you better arrange for a meeting with your Queen, because I certainly have a few words to say…" Vanessa growled as she turned towards Rose once more

"I take it you wish to move on with our business?" asked Rose, when Vanessa nodded sharply she continued "I have been authorized to give both of you a reward for your service to our department. It can be almost anything you wish, as long as it is within our departments boundaries"

Ace and Vanessa both looked thoughtful for a good long while. They weren't really sure what they could ask for, sure they both had things they would like but most of it they could get on their own as well.

"What are you going to ask for?" asked Ace

"I'm not sure… this is one of those situations you try and plan for because it's fun to think about, but when you are put on the spot…" mumbled Vanessa

"I know what you mean… would it be possible for us to hold on to the favor until we figure it out?" asked Ace towards Rose

"Certainly Mr. Potter, simply state quite firmly that you have made up your mind and I shall be around to grant your request" replied Rose with a smile "Now if you two have no more questions, I'm a busy woman and I have more people to see today as well as lunch with very annoying sister in law"

"Just one more thing, does the resident of the Ashwoods refer to the Soul Department as "The Divines"?" Ace asked as he stood from his chair

"The Divines is a term used by most of the Ashwoods to describe both my own department and that combination of Heaven and Hell. Why do you ask Mr. Potter?" inquired Rose, now obviously curious

"Amorpha gifted me with a new staff" said Ace as he pulled out his wand and turned it in his hand until it took on its staff form and then sat it back on the ground

"_**Thymea, Heart of the Forest**_… Mr. Potter do you have any idea what that artifact you are wielding is?!" yelled Rose

"Amorpha explained it to me, yes. I take it there might be a little more to it than that?" asked Ace in confusion

"Mr. Potter… did Amorpha award you with a title along the staff?" asked Rose now clearly in full business mode

"She called me "The Herald of the Goddess" before I left" replied Ace

Rose seemed to blink owlishly for a few moments; Ace saw her cheeks reddening as if she was constraining a laugh.

"You two may leave… and good luck Mr. Potter, you will need it" said Rose in a slightly squeaky voice

The two slowly left the room and exited into the broom cupboard once more, just before the door closed they both swore they heard Rose mumble "herald of the goddess" quickly followed by "John fucked up" before breaking into uncontrollable laughter

Once the door closed it seemingly melded into the wall and left the two youths in the darkness of the broom cupboard once more.

"So!" announced Ace "That just happened… and I'm so sorry" he breathed the last bit

Vanessa turned towards him and smiled a genuine smile before pulling her lover into a comforting embrace.

"I think you're a prat for hiding this from me… and I don't think I'm going to like this Amorpha woman very much, but I think we can work it out" she said

"I hope so… by the way, a thing I didn't mention in there. Amorpha wants to build you a staff" said Ace with a lopsided smile

"She does? I imagined the woman would have a bit of distaste for me…"

"Why would you think that?"

"Didn't I take you from her, isn't that why she is demanding our child for you breaking your staff?"

"Vanessa. Amorpha and I never shared anything but a purely sexual relationship, and it was a onetime deal. I didn't speak with her until just yesterday, before that I hadn't spoken with her for almost sixteen years. She certainly holds no ill will towards you; rather I think she fancies you a bit. You are just the type of woman she likes, fierce and determined and a mouth fit for a sailor"

"So she is really taking our first born simply because you broke the staff?"

"That and she just doesn't want to admit the she wants her future husband around right from the get go. Amorpha can see through time itself, so she knew very well what our son would become to her. So claiming our son is really just her punishing me for breaking the staff, and ensuring that she knows her future husband is well taken care of"

"And she doesn't think we can take care of our own son?"

"She knows we can, and trust me when I say that when we go to get your staff created. She will try to convince you to come live in the Ashwoods to raise our son"

"Well she is going to have one hell of a battle ahead of her…"

"I don't doubt it, love. I just hope I can get some popcorn for the event!"

"Prat!"

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I will be seeing you all in the next chapter.**

**Also just as a side note, this story is rapidly spinning out of control from its original idea so I'm not even sure where we are ending up now… just warning you all.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	11. Chapter 11

The weeks slowly began bleeding away after that. Classes proceeded slowly as they would with Ace and Vanessa quickly seizing the top spots in every class. Ace because he already knew all of the material, and Vanessa because she had Ace to teach her. Though Potions was a bit of a sore topic, Snape hadn't dared to make another move against Harry and had seemingly begun accepting him a little as a student… however much it seemed to hurt his pride.

When Halloween came around, Ace was a little more on edge than usual. He had always hated this day no matter what time they were in. Seeing everyone celebrating the death of his parents always took a toll on his mind.

This evening it must have been even clearer than ever. Vanessa hadn't left his side the entire day and she was constantly trying to make him smile, though it was getting pretty mixed results. So as they sat the table that afternoon, Ace didn't particularly feel like eating anything.

Ace did look up with everyone else as Dumbledore stood up and politely asked for everyone's attention.

"Yes, yes. I'm sure we are all enjoying this delicious feast on this fine evening. But as we celebrate Halloween both for the holiday itself, we also celebrate the defeat of Voldemort at the hand of our own Harry Potter" said Dumbledore, though everyone could hear the somberness in his voice "But we must not forget what else happened that night. Two of the bravest people I have ever known gave their life that night, two of the brightest students to have ever passed through Hogwarts gave their very lives so that the Dark Lord may be defeated. So I ask all of you to stand and share with me a toast!"

Slowly everyone stood and raised their goblets, though only a few of the older years had caught on and most of Ravenclaw table was now looking at Harry with apologetic eyes and very red ears.

"To James and Lily Potter!" called Dumbledore

"**To James and Lily Potter!**" called the entire hall back (minus most of Slytherin House)

After that a more peaceful feeling fell over the great hall as everyone held a moment of silence in honor of the two. Ace had tried to keep the tears back but had failed; his head was buried in Vanessa's chest as he quietly cried for his lost parents.

It was later at the feast that Ace caught Dumbledore's eyes and gave him a very appreciative smile that the old man returned with a small smile and a wink.

Of course nothing peaceful lasts and sure enough the doors burst open with a frantic Professor Quirrel.

"TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" he screamed as he stopped in front of the head table "Just thought you ought to know" then he fainted

The chaos was immediate as everyone began screaming and scrambling around, not really sure of where they were supposed to go. Dumbledore quickly rose from his seat and fired off an explosive spell into the air, silencing everyone.

"**Prefects round up your houses! You will all remain here in the great hall until the teachers have dealt with the threat! I shall be sealing the door behind me as we leave!"** said Dumbledore in a clam tone, but thanks to the Sonorous charm it reached the entire hall.

Everyone seemed to calm down tremendously; Ace had to give it to the old man. He was one hell of a leader when he wanted to be, and thanks to a little insight from Ace's side, Dumbledore didn't foolishly send his students out into the castle all willy nilly.

The large doors to the great hall shimmered slightly as Dumbledore sealed the doors shut, leaving a forgotten Professor Quirrel on the floor and at the mercy of a rather angered eleven year old Ace.

A silent and wandless stunner struck Quirrel when nobody noticed, ensuring that he wouldn't be getting up any time soon. Ace sat next to him and pretended to be looking over him as he searched for signs that he was possessed.

"Finding anything, Ace?" asked Vanessa as she joined him

"Not really. He might really be clean of possession this time…" replied Ace, though he didn't sound so sure

"It's supposed to be at the back of his head here, right?" she asked as she gestured to the back of the turban facing her

"Yeah… I wonder if stunning Quirrel stuns the head on the back…"

"One way to find out" said Vanessa as she grinned like a devil and very promptly slammed her knee into the back of Quirrel's head without anyone seeing.

When there was no reaction and Vanessa felt like she just hit his skull, they both accepted that there probably wasn't any possession, but there was still time though.

Two hours passed before the charm on the door vanished and the teachers returned. They looked tired and Filius seemed to be walking with a slight limp.

"The troll has been dealt with. Prefects take your houses back to their common rooms. You will all be escorted by your Heads of Houses!" announced Dumbledore

Everyone began leaving though Ace and Vanessa stayed back. Ace caught Dumbledore's gaze and the two shared a nod. Dumbledore quietly informed Filius that he was going to talk with the two and just take Ravenclaw to their common room; he would escort the two back when they had spoken.

Ace looked over Quirrel one more time and had to choke a yell as he looked at the teacher's hand. It was the Gaunt ring! How the hell had he missed that for months?

"Something the matter Mr. Potter?" asked Dumbledore as he approached

Ace looked around, and thankfully there was no one but the three of them in the great hall now.

"Look at his hand, sir" said Ace

Dumbledore looked down and held back his own surprise "The Ring… I thought you said it was safely hidden away in the Gaunt home?"

"I thought so too, sir. I think this was an alternate way for Voldemort to control Quirrel this time… this isn't good, sir" said Ace with a bit of shakiness entering his voice

"I can see what you mean, Mr. Potter. If young Quirrel here was possessed with the ring… then who is to say that the remaining Horcruxes have not changed as well" Dumbledore spoke Ace's unsaid worry

"There is no getting around it now, sir. We need to use the holidays to look for the remaining Horcruxes, we need to know what has changed" stated Ace as he slowly levitated the ring off Quirrel's finger and into the black box that Dumbledore conjured.

"Might want to add a few protective spells there, sir" said Vanessa as she looked at the black mist that slowly seeped out of the box

"Quite Miss Weaver" said the Headmaster with a nod as he began weaving his wand in a few motions and the box glowed for a moment as runes appeared around the sides of it.

"There we go. That should contain the Horcrux for as long as we need" said Dumbledore

"There is one more thing, sir. With the ring in our possession… we now have all three Hallows gathered in one place…" the words were careful, calculated… they needed to be careful now

"Merlin…" breathed Dumbledore as he looked carefully to the wand still in his hand, the Elder Wand.

"Though I must admit to be curious, Albus. What was one supposed to achieve by wielding all three Hallows and becoming the Master of Death?" asked Ace as he stood, though he re-stunned Quirrel for good measure.

"No one knows, Harry. None have wielded all three Hallows at the same time. Though that might not be so true… tell me, Harry did you ever wield the Elder Wand before your rebirth?" asked Dumbledore

"I did for a moment, sir. I beat Voldemort using my Staff, but I disarmed him and grabbed the Elder Wand" replied Harry with a pensive look

"By disarming and holding the Wand, the mastery of it passed to you. Tell me, did you wield the Cloak and Stone at the same time?"

"No, sir I didn't. The cloak was in a secure location and the stone was given to the Flamels for safekeeping alongside the Philosophers stone"

"That might have been enough; you were in possession of all of them at one time or another. Is that correct?"

"I guess that is true" said Ace with a shrug

"Try something for me, Harry. Close your eyes and focus on the Hallows, try and feel their power" said Dumbledore

With a nod, Ace closed his eyes and began focusing. He tried to home in on the powers of the two Hallows right next to him. He felt a small pull towards the stone in the ring but nothing defined. He could definently feel the cloak currently hidden in his trunk. It felt like it was calling out to him, to wield it.

"I-I can feel the stone slightly from inside the ring… and it almost feels like the Cloak is calling out to me. I can't feel anything from the wand though" said Ace with confusion coloring his tone

"Hmm… I would have assumed that the control of the Hallows would follow you even through a rebirth. Death is universal after all. But it would seem I was wrong in that assumption" said Dumbledore, though it seemed like he was slowly going into his own little world

"Should we move this guy somewhere, sir?" asked Vanessa as she poked Quirrel in the ribs with her foot

This sprung Dumbledore from his mind and he waved his wand "I shall call Amelia Bones and have her bring an Unspeakable. Perhaps we can get some information from Quirrel here" said Dumbledore as he levitated Quirrel and began guiding his two students towards his office.

"What are we going to do with the ring, Albus?" asked Ace

"Better lock it away until we are ready to destroy it" replied Dumbledore as they reached the office

Quirrel was placed on the floor and had a body bind cast on him by Dumbledore. The Headmaster then stuck his head in the floo and attempted to contact Amelia.

"Halloween is interesting around here" quipped Vanessa

"Always is. Each and every god damn year something odd happens at Halloween" replied Ace

"So we are going to be spending Christmas hunting those Horcrux things? My parents aren't going to like that…" mused Vanessa

"You can go home to them… in fact I'd rather you did. Until we are sure just what sort of protection the Horcruxes have I'd rather not put you in danger" added Ace as an afterthought

"I can defend myself you know…" grumbled Vanessa

"I know you can. But you also need to go home to your family. I still haven't gotten hold of Celeste so I don't have anywhere to go this Christmas anyway. Might as well use it hunting Horcruxes with Albus" shrugged Ace as he pulled out his wand and began looking it over

"Something off about your staff?" asked Vanessa as she sat down in a chair

"Not really… I'm just curious about why both Amorpha and Rose seemed so… so odd about giving me this. Amorpha was really sketchy about why I got this specifically and Rose seemed like she had won the lottery when she found out. Neither of them are speaking so…" replied Ace as he sat down across from her

"It's supposed to be some legendary artifact, right?" she asked

"Yeah…" grumbled Ace in response

"Amelia will be here in a moment with Unspeakable Croaker. What have you in such a mood, Harry?" interjected Albus as he came over and joined the two in a conjured chair

"Well… you see, sir… how to explain this…" grumbled Ace as he kept thinking

"Ace is a staff user, sir" interrupted Vanessa with a bored expression

Dumbledore perked up a little at that and looked impressed at Ace

"I must say Mr. Potter that is quite impressive. I don't even need a staff to use magic. Is there an issue with it then?" asked Dumbledore

Harry just grumbled something as he spun his wand and transformed it into staff form and held it out for Dumbledore to see. The old Headmaster turned white as a sheet as he slowly began backing away… while still in his chair.

"Mr. Potter kindly put that back into wand form!" exclaimed Dumbledore as he began shaking

Ace did as asked and looked at the old Headmaster like he was crazy.

"What's the problem, Albus?" asked Vanessa

Dumbledore was currently taking large breaths as he kept glancing carefully at the now and formed staff.

"I shall rather not ask why you are wielding the mark of the Royal family, Mr. Potter. But I cannot contain my curiosity" said Dumbledore

"Amorpha gave it to me, sir. She was the one that built my old staff as well… it broke when I escaped from the Wizarding world originally" said Ace with a darkened tone

Dumbledore flinched at the mention of Ace's escape "Two staffs from the Ashwoods… Mr. Potter you continue to amaze me. How is the situation with the Dark Elves if you don't mind an old man's curiosity, I haven't been to the Ashwoods for nearly eighty years"

"I can only assume they are quite good, sir. I haven't seen their cities yet, Amorpha would always meet me in a small clearing in the forest" replied Ace

"I can only recommend visiting their Capital then. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the honor of witnessing" added Dumbledore

They didn't have time for further conversation as the floo lit up and Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE stepped outside followed by a tall man wearing a dark cloak that covered his face.

"Dumbledore, a pleasure as always" greeted Amelia as she shook the Headmaster's hand

"Likewise Amelia. Unspeakable Croaker, good to see you again" greeted Dumbledore

"It is good to see you as well, Dumbledore. Where is Quirrel?" asked Croaker

Dumbledore gestured to the man on the floor. Croaker released the body bind but stunned the man short after and levitated him up so he was sitting in a chair. Moments later, Quirrel was bound by conjured ropes. He wasn't going anywhere for the moment

"This must then be young Mr. Potter and Miss Weaver I take it?" asked Amelia as she looked towards the two children

"Ah yes, yes. Allow me to introduce Harry Potter and Vanessa Waver, two of the brightest minds to have stepped through Hogwarts in a long time" said Dumbledore

There was a short exchange in pleasantries before Quirrel stirred and focus fell on him.

"Good morning Professor Quirrel, had a nice nap?" asked Amelia as she stood in front him

"What is going on… last thing I remember is the troll" grumbled Quirrel without his prominent stutter

"Croaker, if you will" said Amelia

Croaker removed a small vial of clear liquid from his robes and dropped three drops into Quirrel's mouth before the Professor had a chance to protest. His eyes glazed over and soon he as looking straight ahead as the Veritaserum took effect.

"What is your name?" asked Croaker

"Quirinus Quirrel" replied Quirrel

"Are you a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" continued Croaker

"Yes, I'm currently the Professor in Defense against the Dark Arts" replied Quirrel

"Have you ever been possessed or willingly carried a possessed object of Lord Voldemort?"

"Yes"

"Which"

"The ring I carried contained the spirit of my master. He would speak to me through it, and if needed be he would assume control"

"Is Lord Voldemort truly dead?"

"No. My lord is currently in spirit form and is waiting for his Death Eaters to perform a Ritual to bring him back"

This had everyone in the room on alert. Though Ace was a little calmer as it meant that Voldemort was still in spirit form and couldn't do a terrible amount of damage just yet.

"Anything else you wish to know Amelia?" asked Croaker

Amelia stepped forward and looked at Quirrel for a moment

"How did Lord Voldemort keep himself alive?" asked Amelia

"My lord is the greatest Wizard in history" replied Quirrel

"It would seem Voldemort did not divulge that information to young Quirrel" added Dumbledore

"Any thoughts, Albus?" asked Amelia

"It would seem we cannot get much information from young Quirrel as I had hoped. Perhaps it would be best if he was tried for possession of a cursed object and taken to Azkaban. At least that way he cannot cause any further damage" replied Dumbledore with a small nod

"One more thing" interrupted Ace "How many of Voldemort's followers know of you?"

"None. My lord wished to keep me a secret so that I may move unrestricted" replied Quirrel

Croaker administered the antidote and reapplied the body bind. He then brought Quirrel through the fire to the Ministry where he would be put into a holding cell until such a time where he could be tried.

Back in the headmasters office, Amelia wanted to talk a little with Harry.

"It is nice to finally be able to speak with you Mr. Potter" began Amelia

"It's a pleasure Madam Bones, I have heard good things about you" replied Harry with a smile

"I have a few questions about today's events if you don't mind" continued Amelia as he pulled out a small note pad

"Of course not" said Harry

The two covered most of the day, with some input from both Vanessa and Dumbledore. Amelia was on her way a small half hour later, leaving the three alone in Dumbledore's office. The aged Headmaster went over to small cabinet and pulled out a bottle.

"I would offer, but I believe you are both a little young" said Dumbledore with a teasing smile

"Very funny, Albus… I haven't had a good drink in eleven years!" exclaimed Vanessa as she plumped down into a seat in front of Dumbledore's desk, Harry followed suit.

"I had intended to suggest that we go over the plans for this coming Christmas, but perhaps it is best if you two were to return to your rooms and get some sleep. It has been a rather hectic afternoon" said Dumbledore as he downed his glass

Harry and Vanessa agreed and ten minutes later they were both in their beds. Dumbledore followed his own advice moments later, though he did place the small box with the Gaunt ring in his private safe in the office… with a few more protection spells just for good measure.

* * *

**A/N: One more for the archive. So the plot keeps going and something is shifty with the Horcruxes… just how big was a ripple in time did the Rebirth create, and how many problems will it cause for our two young heroes?**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	12. Chapter 12

Harry had not slept all that well. Yesterday had turned out to be half a disaster and today they had to go see the goblins about the Horcruxes… if they accuse Bellatrix only to find out that there isn't a Horcrux in her vault… oh they would be so fucked.

The meeting was set right after breakfast. Harry hadn't eaten much, neither had Vanessa for that matter. She had a distinct feeling that today was going to go three ways of south and perhaps just a quarter to the west. Law or now law, if one of the Goblins decided to get a little too smart, spells would fly.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weaver, are you ready to go?" Dumbledore asked as she approached the two at the Ravenclaw table

"Of course, Headmaster" both replied as they stood and followed the elderly headmaster out of the great hall.

On their way to Dumbledore's office, he informed his two young companions that he had already cleared it with Filius about their absence and any homework they might receive will be there for them when they return.

"Have either of you dealt with Goblins before?" asked Dumbledore before they stepped through the floo

"I have, Albus. It was rather important after I become Lord Potter" Harry replied with a little grin before stepping into the floo

A quick shout of "Gringotts, London" and Harry was one his way, leaving Vanessa and Dumbledore standing the office.

"Miss Weaver, if you please. Perhaps it is best if you just observe today, there are many small ways one can insult a goblin and today might not be the best of days to begin. Now just do as Harry did with the floo" Dumbledore said as he gave a small bow and gestured towards the floo with a smile.

Vanessa too stepped into the floo and called out the location, a small grin on her face. Albus then gathered himself a little; he was not that young anymore and could tell his years were running out. Sometime within the next twenty years if his guess was right.

When Dumbledore came through the floo, he saw a snickering Vanessa and an amused looking goblin looking at something on the floor. It turned out to be Harry sitting there, he was grumbling and cursing in the goblin tongue, making it sound all the more colorful.

"It hates me… no matter when and where… the floo hates me" Harry growled from the floor, now speaking English again

"Mr. Potter, I shall refrain from asking how you know our language. Much less how you know about _that_ part of Goblin tradition, but for now I am to guide you to Bank Manager Ragnok" the Goblin said as he gave a yellow toothed grin

"Yeah, yeah…" Harry grunted

Dumbledore restrained a chuckle as they followed the goblin through the halls of Gringotts. They were brought through to a large stone door, or large in comparison to a goblin. The door seemed to have been carved from the rock itself, and then decorated with what seemed like shards of obsidian.

The goblin leading them knocked thrice on the door, each knock echoed through the halls, truly revealing just how deep the paths of Gringotts ran through the earth.

The large doors opened to reveal the office of the bank manager Ragnok. It was carved into the rock itself much like the door. The key difference from the rest of Gringotts was perhaps the walls, they were perfectly smooth and along their length was carved intricate depictions of what must of have been important moments in Goblin history. The Goblin rebellion easy found among them.

"Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and Vanessa Weaver are here for their appointment, Bank Manager Ragnok" the goblin said with a bow.

The Bank Manager waved his hand at the other goblin in a dismissive way. Soon it was just the four of them standing in the office and the three guests were waiting for an invitation to sit. Ragnok was finishing up some paperwork before he would meet with his guests, a new treaty with the gnomes were being written up as of late, the old one was getting a bit dated.

"Have a seat" Ragnok grumbled after a while.

After his guests had gotten comfortable, Ragnok finished up his own work before putting the paper into a small opening on his desk, sending the paperwork to be filed, copied and then sent to the gnomes down in Switzerland.

"Mr. Dumbledore, I am personally overseeing this meeting because of the favor I owe you. However, time is gold and I have precious little of the former. State your business and make it quick," Ragnok ordered as he leveled his gaze at his three guests.

"Ahem yes, thank you Bank Manager Ragnok. Young Mr. Potter here has brought it to my attention that there might be an artifact of a dark nature in one of your vaults. We merely sought to warn you of the item," Dumbledore stated, hoping that it was enough information for the goblin.

"What kind of item do you speak of, and how did Mr. Potter come to such information?" Ragnok asked after a moment of silence.

"The item in question is the cup of Helga Hufflepuff, currently located in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange. The Cup is a Horcrux for Bellatrix's master, Voldemort. As for how I know this… I was informed by my queen of its location" Harry replied. Though it was a lie that Amorpha told him of the location, he knew that his queen would not mind him using her name to smooth things over with the goblins.

Ragnok looked skeptical at the answer. The very though that Gringotts might have allowed such a dark item into their vaults was preposterous, not to add insulting. But more so he was curious about how young Mr. Potter had gotten the information.

"Mr. Potter, who is this "Queen" you speak of that could inform you of things within Gringotts?" Ragnok asked, it was after all a sensitive subject and if anyone has the power to look within the vaults of Gringotts and that got publically known their reputation would be ruined.

Harry took a deep breath and gave himself a second to prepare. This was one of the larger steps to be taken in the dangerous game he was playing. The revelations that a Wizard served the Dark Elf Queen to the goblins. It could be disastrous or it could sway the goblins in their favor.

"I am a resident of the Ashwoods and a subject of the Dark Queen Amorpha. My Queen revealed to me the location of such an offending object. You, Battlemaster Ragnok, should know better than most the view my Queen has on the misuse of Soul Magic" Harry replied, using the title Ragnok was known by with the Dark Elves for added effect.

And indeed Amorpha did not look kindly upon those that would misuse the branch of magic that the Dark Elves had created. Amorpha's great-grandmother had been the one to accept the knowledge of Soul Magic from their Goddess and then passed the knowledge on to the rest of the Dark Elven people.

Of course with time the knowledge of the magic went further than just the Ashwoods, and though it did not sit well with the Dark Elves at the time, they recognized that the only way to erase the knowledge of Soul Magic from the minds of the lesser races would be to wipe them out. An action that was forbidden by their Goddess long ago.

Ragnok knew all of this. He had been to the Ashwoods in his youth and met with their Queen. It had been on business for Gringotts but the goblin would never forget his time in the ancient place. Safe to say he still had nightmares about some of the things he saw when he passed through their prison camp.

"I see, very well then. If Queen Amorpha informed you of its presence then we shall of course comply and have it checked out immediately. Shortfang!" Ragnok said before yelling for the goblin.

Moments later a smaller goblin came through the doors and bowed down to his leader. He was informed to go down to the Lestrange vault and inspect it, upon the discovery of any item considered against Gringotts law, the vault was to be closed down and the items destroyed.

"If I may, Battlemaster Ragnok. I would see it was a personal favor if you were to not destroy the Hufflepuff Cup. If you could simply extract the soul piece and then hand over the Cup to us, I would be most grateful. Of course the house of Potter would pay the full price for the procedure" Harry interjected before Shortfang managed to leave the room.

Ragnok agreed and changed the order, then sent the smaller goblin scurrying down to the tunnels to perform his order.

"Now while we wait, I have a piece of business I would like to discuss with you Mr. Dumbledore and you Mr. Potter. It is the matter of Mr. Potter's magical guardian." Ragnok stated as he began pulling out papers.

"Is something the matter?" Dumbledore asked, a tinge of worry sprouting in his mind.

"Perhaps. Though the Ministry might not consider it valid, here at Gringotts we honor the wills we hold. The will of James and Lily Potter states that Sirius Black is to be the Magical Guardian in case of their demise. Since Mr. Black is in Azkaban and thus not able to attend meetings, we are forced to either change Mr. Potter's magical guardian or declare him and Emancipated minor by Gringotts law. As you are the only available witness to the will, Mr. Dumbledore, this decision may be influenced by your input."

This caught both Dumbledore and Harry by surprise. Sure, Harry had planned to become emancipated at some point during his time at Hogwarts, but was it really smart to do it while he was still a first year? It would mean that he would have to take up his mantle as Lord Potter, and with that title came much work that he wouldn't be able to properly attend while at Hogwarts.

"Albus, perhaps it would simply be better for the guardianship to pass to you until such a time that we can get Sirius out of Azkaban" Harry suggested.

"A favorable idea, Harry. But if I may make a suggestion. If you are emancipated and take up your mantel as Lord Potter, you could then appoint a proxy almost immediately until such a time that you have finished your schooling at Hogwarts. This would ensure that the votes House Potter holds within the Wizengamot could once more see use. Of course that would require a suitable proxy" Dumbledore countered.

"And as you are the current Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, you cannot act as my proxy. I have no allies in the Wizengamot yet, so it isn't like I could pass the proxy to anyone either. I think letting you be my guardian until Sirius is free is the best choice. Then when he is out I could get emancipated and Sirius could be my proxy" Harry countered with his own idea.

"That could also work. Though that would require Sirius Black to be Lord Black" said Dumbledore.

"Mr. Sirius Orion Black is currently the head of House Black" Ragnok announced as he entered the conversation.

"How is that possible?" Dumbledore asked "Prisoners in Azkaban cannot be the Head of their House"

"Perhaps by Ministry Law, but by Gringotts law the current Head of house Black is Sirius Orion Black, by the will of his late father, Orion Black. The Will never stipulated that Mr. Black had been thrown out of his family or disowned. It in fact stated that Sirius was to become Lord Black should he be alive at the time of Orion's demise" Ragnok informed his guests.

"So it would seem your plan could work, Harry. I guess that means we should make haste with our other business so we can free Sirius as soon as possible" Dumbledore summarized with a content smile.

"Well that's good, now we just need to wait for an answer down from the vaults" Harry added.

As if summoned, Shortfang came through the doors. An angry scowl marring his features and a letter in his hands.

"Bank Manager Ragnok, the information proved correct and we retrieved the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff from Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. After testing it was indeed revealed to be a Horcrux and the ritual for purging the object is currently underway. We found this letter inside the vault, beneath the cup. It is addressed to Sirius Black" Shortfang informed his leader.

"Leave the letter and come back with the Cup once the ritual is finished" Ragnok ordered before turning towards his guests once again. "It would seem you were correct. The price for the Ritual will be withdrawn from the Potter Vaults and the object returned to Albus Dumbledore upon completion. The letter is addressed to Sirius but since he is unable to receive it, it will pass to his next of kin" Ragnok said as he passed the letter to Harry.

Harry looked at the letter for almost a solid minute before opening it. He feared what he might find inside, his past experience with Bellatrix before her death was not good. He figured that this version of her couldn't be much different.

Slowly he pulled out the letter and began to read.

_To Sirius Black, my beloved brother._

_I'm so sorry Sirius. We tired our best to protect you and little Harry, but the damned rat managed to get by us and tell the Dark Lord where the Potters were hiding. We managed to take a bit of subtle revenge for it though._

_Regulus managed to slip away one of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes, the locket of Salazar Slytherin. The real locket should be back at Black Manor, a fake is in place to fool the Dark Lord, I hope you find a way to destroy it. With a little luck the Dark Lord will have killed me, thus opening my Will. This should have passed everything in my vault to you, which is how I assumed you have gotten this letter._

_I'm sorry we couldn't tell you. When you were sorted into Gryffindor, we were ecstatic; you could finally escape the Black Curse and perhaps build a better life than the one we had been thrust into. Mom and Dad might have seemed harsh on you, but driving you away was the hardest thing they had ever done. I can't even count how many nights I had to cry myself asleep to ensure I didn't break in front of you._

_If everything goes well then the Cup is now in your possession. It's another one of those cursed Horcruxes, if you managed to destroy the Locket, the please destroy this as well and bring us one step closer to taking down the Dark Lord. I wish I could help more than this, but I'm in too deep with the Dark Lord now. The Mark burns upon my arm and I have performed horrible acts in hope of maintaining my cover. His voice whispers in my ear even as I write this and I don't think my mind has long to go. I just hope I can see death before my mind becomes his completely._

_Live a long and good life, Sirius. Always remember that we love you and will die to protect you._

_Your loving sister,  
Bellatrix Black_

Harry sat paralyzed, his hand shaking and mind racing. He couldn't believe what he was reading. The change would be too great, though the location of some of the Horcruxes might have changed this was simply too much for his mind to comprehend.

As the letter fell from his hand, Vanessa picked it up and read through it. A gasp escaped her as she finished and her gaze fell upon Harry's shaking form. She didn't know much about Harry's past, but he had covered the death of his godfather and what it had done to him back then.

Dumbledore took the letter from Vanessa and read it himself. The aged Headmaster felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. Could it be true? Had the Blacks really worked to undermine Voldemort all these years and he hadn't noticed? If that was true… then perhaps there was hope. When he turned to look at Harry he realized a moment too late what was happening.

"Ace!" Vanessa yelled just as the air around Harry cracked with emerald lightning and Harry forcefully broke his way through Gringotts wards, apparating towards his target.

**The Island of Azkaban**

No one heard the thunderous roar as Harry Potter descended upon the Wizarding Prison in a bolt of emerald lightning.

Bellatrix had been sitting inside her cell, attempting to catch even a moments rest as the Dementor's were not within range to torment her already collapsing mind. A bolt of emerald lightning lit up the entire room and her eyes widened as she looked towards the cause.

When the emerald fire in Harry's eyes broke through the smoke, Bellatrix felt as if her heart stopped. His entire body was shaking, emerald lightning cracking off him and into the walls. Magic swirled around him like a tornado, and his gaze finally locked with her own.

Her mouth parted and for the first time in a long while her voice sounded, horse and raspy, as it echoed off the walls in her cell one could hear the hope, regret and… love… in her voice.

"Harry?"

* * *

**A/N: Harry's rebirth has shaken the world more than anyone could have imagined, changes far reaching than even John could have predicted has taken placed. Now Harry has to deal with the consequences and face some of his demons that he didn't think existed.**

**Sorry everyone that I haven't posted in so long, but my old PC finally gave out and I had to work like a fucking maniac to get enough hours and save up enough to buy a new one. It finally arrived and I have been working on this steadily since I got it. I am still setting some things up and getting used to Windows 10 (urgh…) but hopefully I should be able to start posting again.**

**I hope to see you all again soon.  
-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	13. Chapter 13

**Before the Rebirth**

"_Harry?"_

A tall woman, perhaps a little over 2 meter's tall stood from a chair. She had long flowing golden hair that stopped right above her bum. Her body seemed to be brimming with muscle despite the apparent slimness of her entire frame. Her face was heart shaped with a pair of sharp green eyes that were a few shades darker than Harry's own.

She approached Harry very carefully, almost like he was going to vanish if she moved to quickly. She bent down in her knees slightly so she could look him directly in the eyes. She placed a careful hand on his cheek and in that moment, memories seemed to flood Harry's mind.

He remembered a time long ago, when he was still a child. His mother was sitting with him on her lap and she was speaking with another woman, though the other woman seemed really tall. The woman looked down at Harry smiled warmly

"Auntie Annie!" called little Harry

Harry seemed suddenly found himself back in the real world, staring into the green eyes of Annabeth Potter.

"A-auntie Annie?" asked Harry with a shaky breath as tears began stinging at his eyes

Annabeth's eyes brimmed with tears as she engulfed her nephew in a hug. She was crying almost as much as Harry was as the two embraced each other. For one it had been sixteen long years of not seeing the last bit of her beloved sister that she had left. For the other it was the first time in sixteen years that he had met someone that loved him like true family.

As the two separated, Harry was still crying and he could hear Annabeth's muted sobs as well. She was looking over him, drinking up his appearance. He looked so much like James it hurt, but those eyes… it was like her sister was staring right back at her.

"My Little Harry… you really came…" Annabeth whispered.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. The letter you left for me… I didn't get it until today" Harry replied in his own whisper.

"That is my fault as well. I left instruction with the goblins on when to give you the letter. It was always meant to be given to you when you became Lord Potter. I only thought it would have happened sooner" Annabeth explained.

"There's so much I want to tell and ask you, I don't even know where to start…" Harry whispered as he stared into his aunt's eyes.

"How about you take a seat in the sofa, I'll make us some tea and then we start… we start from the beginning" Annabeth suggested as she guided her shaking nephew to the sofa and then left for the kitchen.

Annabeth's entire body was shaking. She finally had her nephew with her again, she hadn't had a chance to talk to him since he was but a baby. Now he was sitting in her living room, a full grown man with a lot of questions and hope that she had the answers. She only hoped that she could. She counted her lucky stars that Celeste wasn't home right now, it might have been a bit too much for Harry to take in.

Once the tea was finished she moved back to the living room and poured herself and Harry a cup before taking a seat in the chair opposite of Harry. They both sat in silence for a few minutes, Annabeth waiting for Harry to start and Harry was trying to figure out what to ask first.

"Why didn't you take me after my parents had been killed?" Harry finally asked the question that bothered him the most.

Annabeth sighed deeply as she stared into her nephew's eyes before answering "I couldn't. At the time my own daughter, Celeste, was barely two years old. I had my hands full with her since Celeste's father died. When I then got news that my sister and her husband had been killed… I couldn't take it and fled to Italy. I had a few friends here at the time that took me in. I thought about going back for you… but each time I thought about it I kept thinking that they would send someone to take you away again, and I feared that if I resisted they would try to go after my little Celeste"

Harry sat in silence for a while as he processed the information. He could understand it, though he wasn't happy about it. He wished that she had at least _tried_ and then seen what had happened, but fearing for your children… Harry couldn't relate completely but he had an idea about what she felt.

"Then what about after I started Hogwarts? Or any other time during the war? Why didn't you come to visit me? I really needed someone after Sirius died…" Harry began only to silence himself as thinking of Sirius still hurt.

Annabeth took a deep breath as her eyes hardened "Harry, I want you to listen closely now" she began and she could see that she had Harry's full attention "I kept an eye on you since you started at Hogwarts. I've always done everything I could to keep you safe, but somehow trouble always seem to find you" Harry snorted there "But then the Tri-Wizard tournament happened and I thought I finally had an in. You see, since you were forced to compete in a tournament where the age restriction was set to 17, the Ministry of Magic should have recognized you as an adult and thus emancipated you. This in turn should have let to Gringotts contacting you to give you your inheritance and make you Lord Potter, ensuring that the letter would have found its way to you then."

"Wait a moment!" Harry interrupted with a yell, startling Annabeth "Are you telling me that since my _Fourth Year_ I was supposed to have been treated as an adult wizard?!"

"And had all the privileges and responsibilities that came with that, yes." Annabeth clarified

"That meddling, conniving, manipulative old bastard!" Harry roared, his magic manifesting around him, causing the walls to shake a little.

"Harry, _**calm down!**_" Annabeth ordered, her own magic adding force behind her words.

Harry's magic receded immediately at his aunt's tone. He looked sheepishly down at his tea, he hadn't lost control of his temper like that in a long time. But realizing that Dumbledore most likely had a hand in him not meeting his family… it infuriated him.

"Now I assume that little outburst had something to do with Dumbledore?" Annabeth asked with a stern glare.

"I think it's his fault that I wasn't emancipated. I wouldn't be surprised if he did it to ensure that I continued being his weapon against the dark" Harry growled in return.

"And what makes you think that?" Annabeth continued

"Because had I been emancipated and met you, then there is a good chance I would have come to Italy and chosen not to leave" Harry explained.

"And why is that?"

"Because what reason did I have to go back to Hogwarts? I mean, sure, at the time I might have felt a bit bad about leaving some of my friends behind. But it was the same year that my friends betrayed me because they were so sure that I had cheated my way into the tournament"

"And you think…"

"That coming here, meeting you, would probably have ensured that I would have chosen to not return. Not that the old goat wouldn't have tried to pull me back to Britain anyway…"

"I wouldn't have let him. I was, am, in a much stronger position then when I first arrived. If Dumbledore had tried to take you away, then he would have had the entirety of the MDA brought down upon him."

"What's the MDA?"

"They didn't teach you about us at Hogwarts?" Annabeth asked, her nose scrounged in confusion. When Harry shook his head, her temper flared slightly "Off all the..." she growled "Harry, the MDA is an acronym for Magical Death Association. We are a group of well-trained Witches and Wizards that serve the International Confederation of Wizards. We serve as a form of international Auror for the entire planet. We are subject to none of the different Ministries Laws and our orders are given to use by the entirety of the Confederation" Annabeth release a deep sigh at this point, her eyes hardening once again "By all rights we should have been called in to deal with Voldemort as soon as he had come back to life, but the British Ministry refused our assistance. In the words of your esteemed Chief Warlock _"The British Ministry does not require the Assistance of your group at this time."_ Those were his words when we offered up our assistance."

"You have to be shitting me…" Harry grumbled as he almost tossed his cup against the wall "There was an entire military group at the ready, and Dumbledore refused your help?"

"Couldn't go against it either. Exempt from laws as we might be, the MDA are completely at the mercy of the Confederation. We go against a ruling, we end up in jail or dead" Annabeth explained.

"And Britain wasn't worth risking your lives over" Harry summarized with a sigh.

"Correct. Powerful as Voldemort liked to think he was, he really didn't have anything on most American or African Wizards. Not to mention that when he, inevitably, would run into a Mage then he would meet his end. As you so perfectly displayed, nephew" Annabeth summarized.

"I can't take all the credit for that" Harry replied with a weak grin.

"No, I suppose not. A bit of Dark Elf assistance isn't all bad is it?" Annabeth teased with a grin.

"Heard about that, did you?" Harry muttered as he felt heat rise to his cheeks.

"The MDA has a few soldiers from the Dark Elf ranks. They keep us updated on news from their side of the barrier. That their queen had created a staff for a _human_ was big news indeed" Annabeth replied, her grin a little wider.

"Not that it's much use now. I had to break it" Harry replied.

"I know. Now how about we switch over to some more interesting conversation? I'm sure you've got a millions questions that you'd like me to answer" Annabeth suggested as she clapped her hands together.

Harry's face rose to a smile as he nodded sharply before opening up with his first question. Countless hours passed by as the two sat in conversation. Harry had so many questions about his family, and Annabeth was only happy to provide him with every answer she had.

As the afternoon drew to a close, and the their conversation with it, Harry and Annabeth both heard the sounds of a Floo coming to life and turned towards the fireplace just in time to see a young woman step outside, her gaze planted firmly at Harry.

She didn't look all that pleased with him.

* * *

**A/N: I've been busy. Very, very busy. Such is life.**

**FYI: Don't. Trust. The. Airports. Shits fucked.**


	14. Chapter 14

**After the Rebirth**

There were many things Harry regretted after leaving the Wizarding world behind. A few did have to do with some of the people he left behind, but mostly it came at the reason of something else. Namely his Godfather and perhaps the individual he had loved the most, Sirius Black.

The man, since his death, had been a constant source of rage, sorrow, remorse and weakness for the younger Harry. Bringing up his Godfather would usually either make him shut off completely or fly into a rage induced haze.

He had taken a sick, sadistic pleasure in what he did to his Godfather's killer at the ten year anniversary of his death. Bellatrix Lestrange had been killed by Molly Weasley during the final battle, a thing Harry had been immensely angry about. Angry as he had been, he hadn't voiced it and simply allowed the woman the pleasure of killing such a brutal woman.

Though Harry wanted his revenge.

Despite Annabeth and Celeste's warnings, Harry had begun researching a rather old branch of magic that had long since been banished and labeled the darkest of dark magic. Necromancy. The art of raising the dead and bending them to your will.

Bellatrix had come back screaming and crying as Harry ripped her soul from oblivion and forced it into a weak and feeble construct of flesh and string that Harry himself had constructed. Those were dark years for Harry. Years he spent breaking what little remained of her soul after he kept bringing her back. Right down at the end she had begun begging pathetically for him to just end it permanently and wipe out her soul.

Harry hadn't granted her wish. He had sent her to wherever the dead go.

After that open defiance of death, Harry spent years erasing every trace of his necromantic activities. Going as far as doing the equivalent of cleansing his soul. He had every fear that the Dark Elves would find out what he had done, and would come for him. Even Harry at the time wasn't confident that he could take down the Obsidian Guard if they came for him.

But that all lead to him standing here, now, staring down at the broking form of Bellatrix Black. The one who had written that letter, the one who would eventually kill Sirius.

With a wave of his hand, Harry banished Bellatrix into the wall and pinned her to the wall with raw magical pressure.

"I'm going to ask a few questions and you are going to answer. If I think you are lying… I'll make the Dementors out there seem like a vacation." Harry threatened

It was clear the Bellatrix believed him. Her frantic nodding told him all he needed to know. She wouldn't lie to him, at least not for now. But something told him that there would be some spells or something left behind from Voldemort to stop her from speaking about certain things.

"The letter you left for Sirius" Harry began "Is it true? Have you and yours truly betrayed Voldemort? If so, why?"

Bellatrix eyes shone with something akin to sadness, but Harry saw the mixture of happiness hidden behind them. He couldn't decipher what she had to be happy about.

"It's true. When the Dark Lord first began amassing followers he performed a display of strength and gave the ultimatum that all that didn't join him would be killed. My parents came up with a plan. Though the Black family has long been known for its practice of its namesake magic, we have never truly been a "dark" family. At best, we supported some of the rising dark lords to help our standing, then silently sabotage them until someone else could wipe them out" Bellatrix said with a raspy voice, slowly finding it again after all these years.

Harry's emerald eyes squinted at her answer. He wasn't detecting a lie. _'I never studied the Black family history before I came back, so I wouldn't know if this was also true before, but I doubt it. How much did change when I was sent back?'_ Harry mused to himself as his next question formed on his lips.

"You pushed Sirius away from you when he was sorted into Gryffindor, this was to protect him from the influence of Voldemort I take it?" Harry asked and continued at Bellatrix nod "Why haven't you come forward then? Revealed everything now that Voldemort is gone?"

Bellatrix face contorted into one of disgust "You know as well as I, if you read the letter, that he isn't gone. Those blasted Horcruxes of his will keep him alive until we destroy the rest of them. I take it he Cup is destroyed?" Bellatrix finally decided to counter with her own questions.

Harry nodded "The Goblins destroyed it. I will claim the locket over Christmas, then I will begin to look for the remaining ones. We have the ring from the fool Quirrel's hand. That only leaves the Diadem and the Diary" Harry growled

"What about the one in your head?" Bellatrix asked, worry oozing out of every word.

Another growl escaped Harry as he tried to cover the infuriating scar. The worry that Bellatrix displayed was equally annoying, he hated the woman and yet this version of her clearly held a deep love for whatever child Harry had been.

"When the time comes, I'll rip it out myself and send it to death's embrace" Harry said.

Bellatrix shivered at his cold tone. He sounded almost void of care, as if the act was one performed as easily as taking a piss in the morning.

"If you have the letter… I take it Siri is dead?" Bellatrix asked, her voice cracking at the thought.

"He is two levels down, very much alive." Harry replied, a small tinge of relief flooding his chest as he spoke the words. Bellatrix also seemed to cheer up at the idea, at least until her face fell again.

"Then how did you get the letter?" she asked

"Simple. Gringotts does not like something like a Horcrux being kept within their vaults, so when we informed them of it, they removed it instantly. Purged it of the soul fragment and handed the now clean cup to Dumbledore. The letter was addressed to Sirius, so they handed it to me as his next of kin" Harry replied casually as he began gathering his focus to go back to Gringotts.

"But how did you know?" Bellatrix asked

Harry glanced at her sideways with a grin that almost made Bellatrix lose control of her bowels. _That grin was not normal!_ It was like a demon was smiling at her, as if she had just offered up her soul.

"That's my little secret" Harry teased before another loud crack rang through the Wizarding prison, and an emerald lightning bolt once more traveled across the sky, leaving a confused and scared, but hopeful, Bellatrix behind.

**Gringotts, moments after Harry left.**

It had barely taken a moment after Harry had forced his way through the wards before a large group of goblins stormed into the room, armed to the teeth… literally. As one would expect, the Goblins didn't exactly take kindly to someone forcing their way through their wards, which would usually mean they had broken down and thus leaving the bank undefended.

Of course had the goblins bothered to check, they would have found that Harry had indeed forced his way through the wards, but left them oddly intact in doing so.

"Mr. Dumbledore, would you care to explain how it is an eleven year old has just broken through the Gringotts wards?" Ragnok growled at the old wizard, his sharp teeth showing through.

"Mr. Potter is no regular eleven year old. His association with the Dark Elves should have been more than enough proof of this" Dumbledore retorted, none to pleased with the goblins tone "Have you checked your wards to estimate the damage? Or has the possibility that young Mr. Potter might have a way to bypass the wards not crossed your mind?" he finished. Old as he might be, Dumbledore was still a formidable wizard and he wouldn't be threatened by this goblin, their leader or not.

Ragnok turned towards one of the guards and barked something in goblin tongue before turning his gaze towards the two humans in the room. He had not considered Dumbledore's point, because what eleven your old child would ever be able to perform such a feat of magic.

But Ragnok had to concede to Dumbledore on young Mr. Potter's connection to the Ashwoods. The magic the Dark Elven people commanded was not to be trifled with. Should they so desire, they could easily break through the wards of the bank, thankfully the Dark Elves never put much stock in gold… strange creatures they were.

The silence hang heavy until the guard finally returned, a piece of parchment clutched in his hand. Ragnok almost ripped the hand straight off the guard when he proved to slow in handing it over. Harsh eyes scanned over the scroll, the damages to the wards listed there. To his surprise, Ragnok saw that there had indeed been no damage caused to the wards. The shock they all felt came from the wards being forcefully parted as to allowed Mr. Potter passing.

"It would seem, Dumbledore…" Ragnok began as he put down the parchment "That you were correct in your assumption. I don't know how Mr. Potter did it, but he made the wards part for him so he could freely leave the bank. Though it does not explain his… unique… apparition technique" the old goblin punctuated his statement by tossing the parchment into the bin next to him.

"I cannot speak for Mr. Potter's apparition abilities. But having cleared that matter up, I assume we will have to wait for Mr. Potter before continuing with our business?" Dumbledore asked.

"Correct. Once Mr. Potter returns we shall resume" Ragnok declared before hopping off his chair and walking over to the side of the room. A bottle of something was pulled from a cabinet and the goblin filled himself a generous glass before offering one to old wizard.

"I don't assume you drink, Miss Weaver?" Ragnok inquired.

"Best not, eleven years is a bit early to develop alcoholism" Vanessa replied with a cheeky grin.

"Hmm… quite" Ragnok agreed as he took a swig of his glass before moving back to his chair. His gaze fell on Vanessa a few moments later "Miss Weaver, while we are waiting I don't suppose we could discuss some business of our own?"

"Shouldn't I have my parents or guardian or something here for that?" Vanessa inquired in return.

"Mr. Dumbledore is your Magical Guardian while you attend Hogwarts, so his presence should suffice" Ragnok informed in tact with Dumbledore giving a nod of confirmation.

"Then by all means, business away" Vanessa quipped before a piece of parchment appeared before her.

"I had hoped that I could convince you to turn your banking needs towards Gringotts rather than the muggle bank your parents are currently using" Ragnok informed as he indicated towards the parchment in her hands, "That is a contract that shows what you would gain from making this change, as well as the fees we charge for various services, also listed in the contract"

Vanessa grabbed the parchment and looked it over. She might not have looked it back before she became a child again, but she had been a rather successfully law student before she decided that killing people for money was a better income. The story is a bit more complicated than just that, but let's leave it at that for the moment.

It was a fairly standard piece of financial contracting. As the head of her magical family (because neither of her parents were magical) she could make this choice for her family in a magical sense. Of course it would still be up to her parents whatever they wished to move their money into the bank or not. All in all it was a pretty fair contract with a few notable exceptions that Vanessa figured she could talk her way around.

"It all looks well and above board, Ragnok. However, this particular part here that states that should I sign this document, I would be binding both myself and the next five generations of my magical family to use Gringotts for our banking needs does seem a bit steep. I plan on getting married in the future and I will not subjugate my future husband to such a contract. If you wish for me to sign, this will be changed to only remain effective until such a time that I marry" the words fell from Vanessa's mouth as if she had spoken them a million times before, surprising the older goblin.

"I must say, Miss Weaver" Ragnok began with a toothy grin "You are the first witch to have caught the particular details of that part of the contract. If you wish it changed then so be it, we shall have a new document written up. Anything else you wish to discuss?" Ragnok had barely finished his sentence before he saw the wide grin on the young Witch's face and realized he might just have made a mistake.

Dumbledore sat and watched in awe and amusement at how the two began bantering back and forth, haggling over the smallest things in the contract. Both trying to ensure that when the names were written at the bottom, they had come out with the longer part of the stick.

Their debate continued for long enough that Harry actually returned, a bit more subdued this time. He arrived through the office doors via goblin escort. Apparently he had arrived inside the apparition point in Gringotts and requested to be taken back here. When he had seen his girlfriend sitting and arguing with the goblin leader, Harry had taken a seat next to Dumbledore and whispered his inquiry to what was going on.

A short explanation later and they were both watching in amusement.

After almost three hours of none stop arguing, Ragnok released a loud breath and looked over the revised contract one last time "Very well, Miss Weaver. 5% it is and your oath that any profitable business ventures you become part of will be shared with Gringotts" the old goblin finally relented.

Vanessa gave a beaming smile as she put a hand forward for the goblin to shake "Then we have a deal, Ragnok. Slap your signature on the bottom and I'll place mine next to it and then we can both look forward to a profitable partnership" Vanessa stated as they shook hands.

Ragnok did as asked and signed, then he handed the parchment to Vanessa whom did the same. The contract glowed golden for a short moment to indicate that everything was above board and a moment alter it vanished.

"Now then, Mr. Potter, I believe we had some unfinished business regarding your current status?" Ragnok opened the conversation back up once a copy of the contract he had signed with Miss Weaver had appeared before him that he then handed to Vanessa.

"I shall apologize for my rather aprubt departure and the potential damage done to your wards in the process. When my temper flares I have had trouble controlling myself. I do hope no exceptional damage was done?" Harry asked in return.

"Worry not, Mr. Potter. Your little stunt didn't damage the wards at all" Ragnok clarified

"Very well then, to business" Harry began with a relieved sigh "I, Lord Harry James Potter, being of sound mind and body do hereby declare my acceptance and compliance in Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore becoming my Magical Guardian until such a time that my rightful Magical Guardian, Lord Sirius Orion Black can take up the mantle." Harry danced through the words like any skilled politician, phrasing the wording so they could not be taken out of context.

"I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, being of sound mind and body hereby attest as witness to the arrangement put forward by Harry James Potter. I also accept the position as Lord Harry James Potter's Magical Guardian until such a time that his rightful Magical Guardian, Lord Sirius Orion Black, can take up the mantle" Dumbledore continued before a voice sent all three men into silence.

"I, Lady Vanessa Weaver, being sound mind and body hereby attest as witness and betrothed to Lord Harry James Potter to the arrangement put forward by Lord Harry James Potter, in the form of making Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore his Magical Guardian until such a time that his rightful Magical Guardian, Lord Sirius Orion Black can take up the mantle." Vanessa's voice rang clear through the room as all eyes fell to her and the particular wording of her oath sunk in.

Recognizing what Vanessa was doing, Harry jumped on it instantly "I, Lord Harry James Potter, being of sound mind and body do hereby declare the Lady Vanessa Weaver as my betrothed in relation to all dealings with Gringotts Bank" Harry had the widest grin on his face as he finished speaking.

Not one to be outdone, Dumbledore added his five cents "I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, being of sound mind and body hereby attest as witness to the announced betrothal of Lord Harry James Potter and Lady Vanessa Weaver"

Ragnok was grinning up a storm. These three humans had in the span of few minutes completely hamstringed the Ministry in any future plotting against young Mr. Potter and Miss Weaver. Any and all things that involved one would now have to involve the other. Not to mention that with Dumbledore acting as witness the Wizengamot couldn't open their big mouths either.

"I, Battlemaster and Bank Manager Ragnok of the Goblins, being of sound mind and body attest and accept the betrothal of Lord Harry James Potter and Lady Vanessa Weaver as witnessed by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore to be filed and sanctioned under Gringotts law" Ragnok sealed the entire deal with his words and a small contract appeared in a golden flash, Harry and Vanessa's signatures already at the bottom.

Everyone sat and stared at each other with knowing grins before Vanessa broke the silence as she turned towards Dumbledore.

"Sorry to say this sir, but you have too many middle names"

Dumbledore hadn't laughed so much in years.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Okay fair warning once more people. This time we are digging **_**really deep**_** into the whole "Christian" religion thing. I haven't exactly taken liberties with the whole thing, but I just kinda worked off what info I could find and added a few things to make it fit. **

**Once again if any of the written part about religion offends you, then I apologize as it was certainly not meant to do so.**

* * *

Christmas had never been that important to Harry. Even after his relationship with Vanessa had taken off. It just wasn't a time of year that he put much stock into celebrating. So of course that hadn't changed this time around either.

Sitting in the Great Hall with the other Hogwarts students that hadn't gone home for Christmas, along with the teachers, didn't exactly do much for Harry's mood. Of course it didn't matter that much to him since he was just fine with what had been going on since the meeting at Gringotts. They had steadily been tracking some of the Horcruxes and where soon ready to move on some of them.

Only there was a different dilemma that Harry had been working on in his free time. He had been trying to come back into contact with the people responsible for giving him a second chance at life. Safe to say his attempts had proven rather futile. He had lend a thought to asking Amorpha or someone else from the Ashwoods, but thought better of it in the end.

His thoughts circled back to Vanessa and small grin spread over his face. Though it might have been in an awkward way and done more in a sense of political maneuvering than actual feeling, they had still gotten engaged.

"If I didn't know you better, Mr. Potter, I'd say that smile was that of a man in love" Dumbledore's grandfatherly voice rolled through his ears and brought his attention back to the present.

"I am only human, Albus" Harry replied with a grin.

"Twice if you will" Dumbledore replied with a twinkle in his eye.

It took Harry a second to get the joke and a chuckle rose from his chest.

"So, Albus, what are your plans for the coming years?" Harry asked as he reached out to grab himself a bit more breakfast, the bacon was quite addictive.

"Harry my boy… I cannot be more happy to say I don't know" Dumbledore began as he himself reached out to snatch some pudding that seemed to have been forgotten in the center of the table "If everything goes as we have envisioned these coming months… I quite like to think I will retire from the Wizengamot and focus solely on Hogwarts"

"Enjoy your twilight years guiding the young minds?" Harry teased with a sentence that his Dumbledore had been very fond of.

"Quite. I've been thinking of reintroducing some of the old classes to the curriculum. Enchanting and Dueling were once very popular electives" Dumbledore explained with a nostalgic twinkle.

"Dueling, sir? I thought that was part of Defense?" Harry inquired as he leaned forward in interest.

"Ohh it wasn't so always. As the war took its toll on the magical population we couldn't afford to keep as many classes, so much of it was combined into new ones. Defense used to be focused a lot more on studying the various dark arts and how to properly counter them. These days the public would not stand for such a class, their children studying the dark arts? Preposterous!" Dumbledore exclaimed, a fake high pitch voice adding to the joke.

"And Dueling must then have been teaching how to fight another Wizard or Witch I guess?" Harry asked

"Indeed. Filius used to love teaching that class. Eight times Dueling Champion of the World. Marvelous watching him duel, I tell you Harry" Dumbledore replied

"I believe you, sir" Harry replied with a slightly dazed tone as his thoughts ran back to his dilemma.

"What seems to be the problem, Harry? You've had your head in the clouds most of the morning" Dumbledore inquired after a few minutes of silence.

"Well, sir. You said that you had tried to come into contact with… you know" Harry began and at Dumbledore's nod, continued "I'm trying to do much the same. I have some questions that need answering and it would seem they are not to be found on this side of life"

"I might have something to help along with that endeavor. Back when I did my own investigation I came across a few items that were said to help in contacting the other side. Perhaps you will have more luck than I" Dumbledore explained with a small grin as he snatched a sausage away from Fawkes, moments before the greedy bird swallowed another.

"That would be amazing, sir. Can I come by and get it after breakfast?" Harry asked.

"Of course. Better finish up soon before Fawkes decides to steal the rest" Dumbledore replied with an amused grin leveled at his faithful companion.

Fawkes just thrilled a little in response.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

"So what is this supposed to do, sir?" Harry asked as he looked over the small device that Dumbledore had handed him.

It was a small sphere made out of a metal he didn't recognize. For the most part it held da resemblance to iron in strength and feeling, but at the same time it was almost lighter than a feather. He was honestly convinced that should he throw it into the air, it might not come down again.

"That, Harry, is said to be a relic of Merlin himself. Supposedly it was used by him to contact the other side when he needed guidance from those that came before him, whomever they were" Dumbledore explained as he looked over some of the other devices in his possession. The old wizard's eyebrows scrounged together when he started seeing random junk thrown amidst important artifacts… was he turning into a hoarder?

"Really?" Harry asked in wide eyed wonder "How does it work?"

"No one knows. It has passed from person to person with no one ever figuring out how it worked. Alas I never get very close to figuring it out either, at first I assumed it was as simple as pushing a bit of magic into it and focusing. But there must be something a bit more to it." Dumbledore replied as he began pulling items out of his shelf.

"What happened when you poured magic into it?" Harry inquired as he inspected the sphere closer, hoping to find a marking of some kind.

"It glows slightly with a reddish tint when one pours magic into its core. Beyond that I sadly could not pull anymore information." Dumbledore continued removing, moving and replacing objects as if he had suddenly gotten an idea.

"Hmm…" was all the sound that came from Harry as he continued studying the object "Mind if I take this with me? I have an idea" Harry asked

"Yes, yes…" Dumbledore agreed, though he seemed to be paying little mind "Just bring it back when you finish" the old wizard then waved him away as his newest project seemed to engulf him.

Harry left the office and stared at the gargoyle guarding the entrance for a moment before muttering to himself "I think the age is finally getting to him…" he grumbled as he made a line for the stairs leading to the seventh floor and a certain room.

"So turn three times and think of the place you need… while pouring magic into this…" Harry grumbled to himself as he stared at the blank piece of wall in front of him.

Taking a breath he began pouring as much magic as he felt feasible into the object and took a turn three times. What appeared wasn't the door he knew to appear, this wasn't a large wooden door with metallic bindings. This was a small, person sized, white wooden carved door. It held a striking resemblance to some of the more horrific looking vacation homes he had seen his aunt Petunia look through years ago.

"Here goes nothing" he muttered as he pushed the door open to reveal…!

White.

Nothing Else.

Just White.

A lot of White.

"Hallo?" Harry called as he turned to look at the door, only to find it missing "Well fuck…" he grumbled as he began walking forward. Oddly enough though the entire place was consistently white, he felt like he could make out where the walls were, so he had something to guide him along.

No matter how long he walked, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him constantly. Like someone was breathing right down his neck and looking directly over his shoulder. It was disturbing to say the least. And coming from a professional killer, that is saying something.

Finally he saw something in the distance, a small bit of green. It turned out to be a door, leading out to a large green field the seemed to span into eternity.

"Welcome to G… Harry Potter?" a strange ethereal voice rang out behind Harry.

He whirled around just in time to see something manifest from thin air. It was a woman, or at least that's the shape it ended up taking. This mass of gold seemed to twist and turn until the vague shape of a human woman stood in it's place. Two white glowing eyes appeared on what could only be her head and pure white light flowed from the top of her head to form hair reaching all the way down to the grass.

Then came the wings, by the goddess, the wings!

Large feathery wings extruded from her back in a violent explosion of feathers, her entire golden body soon wrapped in the comfort of six large wings, three from each side. She landed on the grass and flowers sprouted through ground in small flames.

To Harry… it felt as if all the love he had ever known in his life was multiplied tenfold as he felt to his knees, crying. He felt something touch his cheek and guide his face upwards, it was her hand. It was warm, like a mother comforting her child for the first time in years.

"Please, Harry Potter, do not cry" the being's ethereal voice rang out as her six massive wings opened and enveloped Harry, the arms of the being pulling him into a warm, gentle hug like he had never known before.

Harry maintained the hug as he got his emotions under control. Finally breaking the embrace he took a few steps back and watched as the wings slowly enveloped the golden beings body once more.

"W-what are you?" he asked with a slight hitch in his tone.

"I am a Seraph, a caretaker of God's throne" the Seraph explained.

"Did I die?" Harry asked with fear in his voice.

The Seraph shook its head slightly "No, young one you didn't die. You came to us, you passed the gates and somehow entered God's home" the Seraph explained as its head titled slightly to the left in a sign of confusion.

"I used this" Harry explained as he held up the sphere "I poured magic into it and then walked through an enchanted doorway… it led me to a long white hallway that then led out here"

The Seraph nodded at his explanation before looking towards the sky for a moment, Harry thought it was so wonderfully blue "You carry a stone from the River Jordan, the place where God's son was baptized. So very few of them remain in the human world" the Seraph said as her eyes lowered once more to Harry "They are keys to heaven. You used it to enter Purgatory and from there it guided you here, to God's home. Tell me, Harry Potter, what do you seek so badly that it would bring you here?"

Harry almost dropped the stone when he heard what it was, but wisely chose to gently place it on the ground. He feared he would drop it with how much he was shaking, this was all so terribly much to take it right now.

"I came seeking answers…" Harry began before silence seemed to claim his thoughts.

"Many seek God in their quest for answers, young one. There is something else, something deeper that has driven you to stand here before me." The Seraph stated.

Harry thought for what felt like eternity to him before a small thought passed through his head and he realized just what could have driven him so far.

"I wanted to know why…" he began as he fell to his knees once more and stared at the rock that had brought him here "Why did I get sent back? Why would they do it? For one measly soul? Could someone else not have done it? Could there not have been sent someone to simply destroy the stone which I had forced Tom's soul into?"

"Young one, you wonder why you were chosen for this gift?" the Seraph asked and at Harry's nod he thought for a moment he saw the Seraph smile "For you are a child of prophecy. Through someone else, God's plan was revealed and spoken" Harry looked ready to protest but the Seraph silenced him with a finger over his lips "No human could possibly truly understand God's design. How the message is interpreted changes from human to human." Harry looked ready to cry again at his point "Do not worry, young one. As God's beloved creations, he would never take from you that which was his greatest gift. Free Will. Your destiny is your own to make, do not let the Soul Domain tell you otherwise. Go, Harry Potter, and live your life as you wish it."

Harry looked up as the finger was removed and a question fell from his lips "So because I'm a child of prophecy I got sent back because it was not completed?"

This time he didn't doubt that the Seraph smiled, especially not when he heard the heavenly laugh that seemed to echo out into eternity "Cleverness always were one of humanity's strongest points. Prophecies are a part of the gift of magic. Once it has been spoken it must come to fruition. No one is allowed to live forever, young one. So of course since your actions led to Tom's soul never finding rest you were sent back to correct your action"

"Are you telling me that had I simply killed Tom as the prophecy stated, I would have died when Hermione blew herself up to kill me and Vanessa?" Harry asked

"Indeed. Had you done as the prophecy stated you were supposed to have gone to hell for your sins and served for eternity. But you yet had a part to play… and due to the interference of _her_, we could not have punished you had we so wished it either" the Seraph spoke and her ethereal voice turned hard and cold as she spoke of this other woman.

'_My Goddess?'_ Harry wondered privately to himself, at least he thought it was private until the Seraph's eyes snapped to him

"Yes, Harry Potter, _Your Goddess_. As you have said it yourself, you are one of her subjects and as such your soul is hers to claim when you die" the Seraph nearly spat out the words.

"Then what about all the changes, why is everything so different now that I was sent back?" Harry asked as he suddenly felt a boost of confidence, like he wasn't in danger any longer.

"That, Harry Potter, is simple. Powerful as God is, it is not possible to throw a soul back through time without causing a ripple to go out through the entirety of time. You remember the world you came from and have to adjust to the new one, such is the price for your second life. Vanessa Weaver… her memories returned because of your Soul Bond" the Seraph's eyes softened greatly at the mention of the soul bond.

"So it's true then? Vanessa and I… we are?" Harry said but couldn't quite get the question out.

"Yes, young one. In each other you found the same spark of love that God used to create mankind. Through this you are bound forever more to one another. Not even God could tear you apart" the Seraph explained as her entire body seemed to radiate warmth and protection once more.

"So all the changes have nothing to do with Dumbledore being like me?" Harry asked

The Seraph shook her head "No. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore had no effect on the changes. He caused his own when he was sent back long ago, as you now have caused yours. One day, the world will change again and you will not realize it"

"When another like us gets sent back?" Harry tried

The Seraph nodded "Yes"

"Thank you for answering my questions. I guess I just have one more…" Harry looked decidedly uncomfortable talking all of a sudden.

The Seraph laughed slightly as she placed a gentle hand on his cheek and spoke "God will never hate anyone. For the murder of his great-grandchild was rectified when you were sent back. She will be alive and well in a few years time. All is forgiven, Harry Potter"

The Seraph lowered her head and Harry felt a kiss get planted on his forehead as a wave of tiredness washed over him. He locked eyes with the Seraph and he felt a smile creep unto his face as he spoke "Did God create the dinosaurs?"

The Seraph laughed once more and just before Harry felt tiredness claim him, he heard her speak "I shall give you clue, Harry Potter. Earth is older than God" then tiredness washed over him and darkness was all he knew for a few moments. Through the dark he heard a voice "I'll look forward to your answer, Harry Potter" just before he felt his back impact with something hard and his eyes snapped open to stare into the ceiling of Hogwarts.

"Okay, no more trips to the afterlife or anywhere else. Clearly I'm getting way over my head here…" Harry grumbled as he rose from the floor, only to realize the door gone and the sphere Dumbledore had given him along with it.

Then his thoughts fell one the last thing the Seraph said to him "Earth is older than God? Why do I suddenly feel like I'm participating in a bad quiz show?" Harry grumbled as he turned and began heading towards Dumbledore's office. He had _so much _to explain.

* * *

**A/N: Just wanted to say that depending on the whole reaction and reception of this chapter it might undergo a revision to make it a lot less "spiritual" in nature, meaning that the meeting with the Seraph would get replaced by a meeting with Rose which would lead to essentially the same answers, just worded differently. **

**I liked this idea as it actually added a bit more to the world as a whole and didn't just make Heaven and Hell a passing mention from my side. This gives them some actual presence and potential for future involvement.**

**Just as a side note, if anyone finds it offensive that I "dared" to insinuate that Earth might actually have come before God… tough luck. I'm an Agnostic and like to mess around with the Metaphysical concept of God.**

**Also Review if you are feeling kind.  
Cheetos and Bacon  
Merry Christmas (or whatever you celebrate).  
-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	16. Chapter 16

Dumbledore stared down at his almost empty glass, contemplating on whatever he should fill it for the fourth time tonight.

Young Harry had left moments ago after regaling him about his resent venture into the afterlife. It was almost too incredible a tale to believe, but somehow he knew that Harry was speaking the truth. There had even been an offer to view the pensive memory of the trip, but he had politely refused. He was certainly looking forward to the next great adventure, but he didn't want a sneak preview just yet.

But thankfully it did bring some important information to light, information that they could use. If anything, Harry was probably one of the few people who had actually managed to get back in touch with the ones who sent them back. Of course the soul bond between Harry and Vanessa was a welcome surprise as well, it warmed the old wizards heart that two people had found each other like that.

"_Gentle child, what do you plan to do?" _ah Fawkes… his oldest companion and most faithful friend through these longs years. He spoke to him through the mental link the two shared.

"Harry has lived one rather exciting life time… I think these old bones could stand to do him one last favor and make sure that he can live his second chance in peace" Albus said though it was slightly muffled by his large beard as he was leaned over his table.

"_Your time runs shorter, my child. Before the Blessed Two pass their thirtieth winter, you will pass on to the next great journey"_ Fawkes sang in his mind as he landed on the old wizards shoulder.

Albus reached up and patted his old friend on the head "And it shall be a spectacular one, my friend. I only hope that I leave this world in better hands"

"_You have done much, too much. When you pass it shall be a day of mourning but worry not. The Blessed Two shall carry on your spirit and guide the gifted true" _Fawkes sang before taking to his perch once more, intent on catching some sleep.

Albus took a look outside and surprised himself by seeing darkness. Had he stewed for the entire day inside his offices? Old age was certainly getting too him. Oh well. Fawkes passed on to him his time, he has until young Harry and Vanessa turn 30 to finish up his affairs.

With a swish and flick of his wand that old Filius would be proud of, some paper, ink and quill flew through the room and landed neatly in front of him. Dipping the quill twice, Albus Dumbledore put ink to thoughts and began penning out his last great work.

_A Wizard's Journey  
by  
Albus Dumbledore_

'_Now how to begin…' _the old headmaster thought as he tapped the edge of his table with the feathered quill _'Ah yes of course, we begin at the beginning…'_

_It all began in 1881, in a small town called Mould-on-the-Wold…_

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

So it came to be that winter relinquished its hold on England and gave way to spring. The cycle renewed and life crawled out from hiding as the trees began blooming and the grass shone greener than ever.

Hogwarts felt quitter than it had in a long time for the old headmaster as he looked out over the students as they ate. The seventh years were studying and preparing for their NEWTs, the fifth years their OWLs. Oh it was a sight to behold, so many young minds working towards bettering themselves.

The chit-chatter danced across the entire hall as the youngest of the children talked and laughed in merry wonder. This, this Albus never grew tired of. He had seen the wars; he had fought in them, both in the battlefield and in the halls of politics. Now more than ever he realized just how much he had wished that he had simply done away with Tom when he had first seen the rising darkness in him.

Alas one can always look back with clarity, hindsight is 20-20 as the muggles would say, though Albus didn't really know what it meant, he thought it sounded applicable to this situation. He gazed over the tables and caught young Harry's gaze and the slightly raised goblet. Albus lifted his in response and the two shared a silent cheers for the year slowly coming to an end.

Their Horcrux hunting had not gone entirely as they would have predicted. Though the ring was safe with Albus and the Goblet now once more stood prominently displayed in the Hufflepuff common room, they had in fact yet to find Ravenclaw's Diadem in the room of hidden things. Oh Albus remembered how angry young Harry had been when they had realized it was hidden elsewhere. It would seem more change had been wrought than they could ever have anticipated. Thankfully the goblins had been very helpful in the matter. They had begun working on a way to track the Horcruxes and their locations, sadly it was a slow process.

Now come summer they had thought up a strategy. Harry would return to the Dursleys to inspect the situation. After Albus had rather adamantly sworn that they were decent folk, Harry had admitted to his earliest memories from this life had been waking up at King's Cross. He had relented to go meet them, and if they displayed signs of earlier behavior, he would leave. In the meantime, Albus would return to Number 12 Grimmauld Place and look for the Locket of Salazar Slytherin. The old headmaster so hoped that it would still be there.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

Soon enough the end of the year was at bay. The fake Philosopher's stone lay undisturbed and his old friend Nicolas Flamel had sent him a letter confirming that the real stone was still very much safe. Of course Albus knew that ole Nicolas had originally intended to destroy the stone should it ever prove too dangerous to leave around. But Albus had convinced his old friend to simply hide it away under a few particular spells.

After all, who would know any of the protection they put up around the stone? Nicolas and Pernelle are some of the last living magicals to know a spells from their Era. Albus had hoping to sneak a peek at some of the old spell books, but Nicolas had told him to "keep his old dusty nose out of things he wouldn't understand" and he had duly complied. Didn't stop him from feeling childishly insulted, like he wasn't allowed to look at one of his parents things.

Overseeing the leaving feast was always a pleasure. The Great Hall was decorated in blues and bronze in honor of Ravenclaw for winning the house cup, thus breaking Slytherin's very impressive winning streak. Of course young Harry and Vanessa had done much to ensure their house's victory this year. Dumbledore had thought of implementing something to stop Harry from acquiring too many points for his house due to his extended knowledge, but then again. The boy had been sorted into Ravenclaw, either by his own will or that of the hat. His vast intellect would only get larger, so why deny him the points that he earned through his own hardships.

Rising from his seat, Albus allowed himself to enjoy as the Great Hall fell silent. These old bones of his still commanded a bit of respect it would seem. Running a long gaze over the students, Albus smiled grandfatherly at everyone.

"Another year at Hogwarts comes to an end. I feel I must once more congratulate Ravenclaw for their exemplary performance this year, beating out the old House Cup record of 875 points with a staggering 950 house points!" at this Albus lead a small applause towards the house of the wit "Yes, yes! Congratulations Ravenclaw. Now I wish for us all to stand and give our Seventh Years a round of applause for their exemplary seven years of work" once more, Albus led them in applause "I cannot say how proud I am of all of you. You have sat through grueling tests and passed many trials. And survived Madam Hooch flying lessons no less!" here Albus allowed himself the small chuckles "So it is with a heavy heart that I must watch you all depart these halls for the last time as students. I can only hope that one day I shall be greeting some of you once more as Professors in this fine institution. So let us stand and send our graduates off!"

Everyone rose at Dumbledore's words and cheered loudly for the seventh years who all gathered at the front and took a short bow before walking out of the Great Hall in two lines, house rivalries forgotten for the moment as Slytherin and Gryffindor students walked side by side, now heading towards their greatest adventure beyond the Hogwarts walls.

As the Great Hall doors closed behind the seventh years, each head of house rose and gave a polite bow to the remaining students as they headed out to say more personal goodbyes to their oldest students. As soon as there was only Dumbledore and a few of the other teachers, the old headmaster rose and give a small wink towards a certain set of twins.

"Now I believe that Fred and George Weasley have some entertainment for us. Best hurry it along before McGonagall returns" Dumbledore rushed the two laughing twins as they ran up to the front and placed a small box in front of the teacher's table and lit a fuse.

"Ladies and"

"Gentlemen!"

"The Weasley Twins"

"Are proud to present"

"The first ever _improved_"

"**Magical Fireworks!**" the two finished in a yell together as the fuse reached the box and out flew a myriad of colors and shapes that sped around the great hall to the cheering of the students.

Albus kept his wand out of sight as he discreetly cast a few charms here and there to ensure that none of the colorful explosions would go anywhere near the students, couldn't risk them harm here on the last day.

The merriment eased off slowly as the fireworks dwindled to a thundering applause. Fred and George were laughing along as they bowed and retook their seats at their table. With a few movements of his wand, Dumbledore had removed all the fireworks and their remains just in time for the head of houses to return to an eerily calm Great Hall, oh how Minerva eyed Albus darkly as if she knew what had been going on.

The feast ended shortly after with Dumbledore wishing all the students luck in the coming year and asking for their help in making the new first years feel at home come the new term.

All in all it was a good day that led to this last meeting of the year, the end of term staff meeting. Albus always quite enjoyed this little get together. It usually served as a minor celebration for the teachers and staff rather than an actual meeting. They would enjoy some good late night food and then go over the year and its happenings.

"So" Albus began after finishing a particularly tasty boiled potato "who wishes to start us off this year? Minerva perhaps?"

"A quiet year for once. After the whole business on Halloween it seemed to mellow out quite a bit. Even the Weasley twins cooled off for a time" Minerva stated as she too enjoyed the food "there were a few cases where we had to take action, but thankfully we got through the year relatively unscathed"

"I quite agree with Minerva. My Puffs had an excellent year and it seems that our newest batch of first years are a promising lot" Professor Sprout added her two scents.

"What of the Slytherins, Severus?" Albus inquired of his youngest teacher.

"Same as the last few years, Headmaster. Continued hatred ensures that there can be no proper attempt at inter house communication" Snape drawled as he poked half heartedly at his food.

"You're not helping it any yourself, Severus. I have seen the record of points deducted. I mean really, 5 points off for breathing too loud?" Minerva challenged and could see that the younger teacher wasn't in the mood to argue her point.

"Filius?" Albus interrupted before another Gryffindor vs. Slytherin war erupted in his office… again.

"I must say the new first years took to Rowena's motto with gusto this year! The lot stayed and studied in the common room far beyond what anyone had expected. None surprising me more than young Vanessa" Filius squeaked in joy.

"Bright witch, that one" Septima Vector stated from her side of the table.

"I was not aware that you had spoken with young Miss Weaver" Albus said while asking the silent question.

"Filius sent her too me after their conversation on advanced Charms work. She asked to see some introductory assignments to Arithmancy and to my astonishment; she grasped the concept incredibly quickly. I dare say that should she wish it, young Miss Weaver could sit in on the new Third Years first lesson and keep up quite easily" Septima explained as she made a few wild gestures with her fork, nearly hitting poor Filius in the head with a piece of flying cabbage.

"Quite so?" Albus stated with a smile at poor Filius plight "Then perhaps she is giving Miss Granger a run for her gold as the brightest witch of this year"

At this a few of the teacher's faces soured slightly, something Albus didn't miss "Is everything okay with Miss Granger?" Albus finally asked when no one seemed willing to voice their opinion.

"Miss Granger is a bright Witch with a bright future ahead of her. If she can throw away a few nasty habits" Minerva began "she has no tolerance for being outdone in class and will pursue those who do better than her and pester them with questions to an almost zealous degree. I have gotten more complaints about her this year than any other first year"

"It is not only in your class, Minerva" Severus began "During my class she is insufferable to listen to as she tries to explain to her partner the particulates of the potion they will be brewing. I shall admit I might not look too favorably on young Mr. Longbottom but even I can see that he would have a decent eye for potions making had he not been partnered with someone that seems to frighten him nearly as much as I do"

"Have you considered speaking with the poor girl, Minerva?" Sybill Trelawney asked as she removed her glasses to clean them with the tablecloth.

"I have tried, but she seems to believe herself so much in the right that I fear it might take quite the shock to bring her out of it" Minerva explained.

"Come the new term, I shall try to speak with her" Albus stated

"Let us hope it works, the young girl seems to idolize you quite a bit, Albus" Filius stated in return.

"Quite so?" Albus countered before plopping another potato slice in his mouth.

"What about young Mr. Potter?" Henry Burbage, the muggle studies professor, asked.

"One of my brightest and best" Filius proclaimed proudly "So far he has grasped every charm within the first lesson and on more than one occasion has displayed the ability to perform it silently as well!"

"It is much the same in Transfiguration" Minerva agreed "he picks up the material faster than any other student and then seems to entertain himself for most of the class with testing just how far he can push his transfiguration ability"

Most of the teachers gave quite the same response. All would say that Harry seemed to grasp the concept within the hour and then simply spent time studying whatever pleased him until the class was over, or, on occasion, he would help young Miss Weaver.

"Are the two friends from before Hogwarts, perhaps?" Henry asked when they reached that subject.

Here Albus release a hearty chuckle that saw all of the teachers turn towards him with questioning eyes "Young Mr. Potter allowed me to share with you his relation to young Vanessa. The two did indeed get to know one another outside of Hogwarts and grew ever closer until they finally arrived here. Only to find out something when young Harry attended Gringotts with young Vanessa" Albus explained, saying the truth and yet keeping it hidden just out of sight.

"Well don't keep us in suspense, Albus. What is it?" Filius squeaked in in impatience.

"Young Harry and Vanessa share a soul bond" Albus stated with a large smile.

This sent mixed reactions through the staff. Most were surprised and slightly awed and some were curious. But everyone, mostly, were quite happy for the young couple to have found one another in such a young age. In the past, Soul Bonded partners that found each other in their early years lived long happy lives together.

That happy information brought the meeting to end soon after as they finished up their plans for the summer and everyone said their goodbyes as they headed off to see their families or go on vacation until school resumed. Only Filius and Albus remained in the end, seated by his desk with a glass of brandy in their hands.

"It has been some long years, Albus" Filius stated as he stared down at his drink.

"Indeed it has, Filius" Albus began as he rummaged through his drawer "I have something to show you" he finished as he pulled out a small leather bound book and handed it over to the charms teacher.

Filius looked over the cover and then stared up at his oldest friend "Albus, you don't mean?"

"Fawkes has kindly told me that the next great adventure is soon upon me" Albus confirmed his friends fears.

"How long?" Filius asked as he opened the book and read the foreword.

"Some nineteen years. Plenty of time to see this whole Tom business to end and run Hogwarts for a few comfortably silent years" Albus replied as he took a swig of his glass.

Filius closed the book and stared up at his old friend. They had attended Hogwarts together and now it would seem Albus was preparing himself for his journey, making for quite the fitting title.

"I'll look forward to reading it when it is finished" the small charms master said as he handed the book over.

"You'll be the first to know when I'm done" Albus said as he lifted his glass "To old friends and comfortable endings"

Filius lifted his glass "To fresh beginnings and a brighter future"

The two old friends then clinked glasses and spoke out long into the night. Albus had quite a lot he wished to have off his chest, and Filius was always a great listener.

* * *

**A/N: An Albus focused chapter and timeskip of a sort to the end of the year (Honestly I was running out of things to tell you about that woulndt just be an extension of "Harry and Vanessa are bloody smart, they do well in class. Move along") I figured we could have a nice little chapter from Albus side of the world and then start up fresh on the summer leading to second year next time.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	17. Chapter 17

Harry stood staring at the home he had so loathed for decades. Number 4 Privet Drive had been the source and location of many of his most horrible nightmares. Of course he had rectified a lot of mistakes over his life as he grew older, but he never could get himself to deal with the Dursleys. He had stood right where he stood now, his rifle in hand with every intent to end the family that had caused him so much suffering.

He couldn't do it.

For the first and last time in Ace's professional career, he had been unable to perform the kill. He had instead chosen to walk inside and had removed every trace that he ever existed and then spent the next six hours obliviating his family and any muggle he had ever met. He left the knowledge of Lily behind in Petunia's mind, but changed the memories so they were more happy and gave the impression that the two sisters had simply grown apart over the long years. Harry Potter had truly died that night.

Now he was preparing to knock on the door once again, this time with the intention to judge the family. A small light in his chest told him that he still held some ridiculous sense of hope that they were perhaps good folk.

He breathed deeply and knocked twice and listened.

The footsteps of his aunt was recognizable enough, her high heels clanking against the floor as she walked.

'_Why she wears shoes inside, I'll never know.'_ Harry mused to himself as the door opened.

Happy that his years of training stopped him from physically reacting, Harry's mind did a double take as he saw his aunt Petunia for the first time in decades. She looked… healthier… in a sense. Her face was more relaxed, less harpy like. Her body also seemed to be a little fuller, as if she had not tried to starve herself to her "ideal weight" as he remembered her moaning about many times during his childhood.

"Oh, Harry. We were going to come to the station to pick you up, but you never sent a letter and told us when you would be coming home." Petunia said in a surprisingly neutral tone.

They stood and stared at each other for what felt like hours to Harry before he finally managed to regain enough sense to open his mouth.

"Aunt Petunia. Is Dudley and Vernon home?" He asked in a low tone.

"Dudley is in his room and Vernon is in the kitchen, why?" Petunia asked in return as she stepped aside and gestured him inside the house.

Harry nodded in thanks as he stepped inside and looked around; it all looked like he remembered it from so long ago.

"Could you go get them and gather in the sitting room? I think I need to explain something." Harry said as he moved himself to the mentioned room.

Petunia nodded unsurely before she stepped upstairs to gather Dudley. Moments later, Vernon stepped into the sitting room on his own and Harry's mental self did another flip. What the fuck.

What the bloody flying fuck had happened to Vernon's whale stomach? This man was still overweight, indeed. But it was clear that he had been in decent shape at some point in his life. He looked like the amount of fat that sat around his stomach had arrived as a side effect of stopping a regular exercise regimen.

"Harry, welcome back." Vernon said as he took a seat in his favorite chair and looked over his nephew. When their eyes met, Harry noticed Vernon's eyes widened slightly.

Before either could speak, Petunia came down with Dudley in tow and Harry feared his heart might be giving out on him. Dudley was almost the exact same as his father, only in reverse. He looked like he had been oversized but was now heading towards getting a lot better. What the actual flying…

"So, Harry, what did you want to tell us?" Petunia asked with a small smile as she sat down with Dudley in the sofa.

"Pet" Vernon interrupted, causing the two to share a meaningful look "Harry, please take your time"

Harry nodded in thanks and took a few deep breaths as he steadied himself. He gave one last wistful look over the Dursleys and wondered to himself just if they would believe him.

"I need you all to remain calm as I tell you this, and it might seem hard to believe but I promise it is all real" Harry began.

"It's about your… magic, isn't it?" Vernon stated, as he seemed to roll the word around on his tongue as if it was a strange thing to say.

"Yes."

Then Harry began his tale. Starting from his earliest years and memories. He told them everything. His experiences and what he had done with his life, how he felt about them and what he had done to them. Finally he told them about how he came back to this time and the changes he had noticed. Throughout the entire story he had taken careful note of their reaction and he found it all surprising.

Vernon looked outraged at a few points in his story when Harry mentioned some of the worse things he had been exposed to.

Dudley looked confused through most of it, but seemed slightly disgusted whenever Harry spoke of how he knew him to be.

Petunia was the biggest reaction. She had outright yelled in protest when he had spoken about her relationship between Lily and her. She had also been the angriest the more Harry spoke about his life.

"So that's what happened… I figured you deserved to know since my Headmaster insisted that you were in fact good people, despite my protests otherwise." Harry stated with sagged shoulders as he stared expectantly at them.

"Harry" Petunia whispered "please look around the house for a minute and then tell me just what it is that you see."

Harry gave a nod and rose from his seat and began walking through the house. He looked over all the walls and items, taking in the nostalgic feeling it awoke in him. As he began looking at the pictures he felt a clump spread in his throat. The further he walked, the heavier his legs felt until he stopped in front of the large fireplace and took in the picture standing prominently displayed in the center.

Vernon And Petunia Dursley were standing in the most atrocious looking Christmas sweaters, a sour looking Dudley lying in his mother's arms, wearing a smaller version of the same disgraceful piece of clothing.

It was who was in the picture with them that got Harry. James and Lily Potter were standing right next to them with large smiles on their faces. Sweaters just as ugly hugging their bodies though in inverted colors. And right there, lying so carefully asleep in his mother's embrace, was little Harry Potter.

It was his family. All of it.

A small tear slid down his cheek as he felt a strong hand land on his shoulder. He looked back into the sad smiling face of Vernon and Petunia.

"I loved my sister and nothing could stand in the way of that. We had a falling out as children but when she returned after her seventh year in Hogwarts, we made up and she introduced me to her boyfriend, James." Petunia said as she slowly drew her nephew into a hug.

"James was a great man. At first I was cautious because of the whole Magic business. But once we got over that, James and I became good friends. That picture was taken the first and only Christmas they held with us after your birth. I wish you could have met him, he was so proud of you." Vernon continued from his wife as he felt the memories swim over him.

"Them dying nearly tore me apart. If Albus hadn't delivered you to us that night… I don't think I would have pulled through if I didn't have both you and Dudley to cheer me up." Petunia quietly whispered into Harry's ear as she rocked him back and forth as his tears intensified.

"He didn't leave me on the doorstep, did he?" Harry asked through the tears.

He felt Petunia shake her head against his hair "No. Albus knocked and told us everything before handing you to us. He swore that he would return to go into deeper details, but he needed to control the chaos that was spreading in your world."

"What happened after?" Harry whispered as he tried to regain some sense.

"He would come around once a year, usually on your birthday. He'd have a gift of some sort with him and if we had discovered you were doing an excess of, accidental magic?" Vernon asked and at Harry's nod continued "If that was the case, he would usually speak with you for a few moments and then it would usually be fine."

"I have something to ask of you…" Harry started before sucking in a breath "but I don't know if you will like it"

"What is it?" Petunia asked.

"I want to see your memories of Harry. _Your _Harry, the one whose place I… I stole." Harry said hoarsely as he removed himself from the loving embrace.

"You're our Harry. Never think otherwise." Petunia stated as she grabbed her nephews head so he would look her in the eyes. "And yes, you can view my memories."

With a nod, Harry cast the spell silently and wandlessly. It wasn't difficult to move around Petunia's memories. They were surprisingly organized for a normy, but Lily might have had a small hand in that if he was right.

A smile came to his face as he watched their Harry in his youth. He had grown up much better than he himself had. Petunia and Vernon treated him like a son but made sure that he understood just how amazing his real mom and dad had been. Oh he got into trouble more than once, but often it was because of his surprising friendship with Dudley. Apparently he had been a _"bad influence" _on his cousin and had roped him in with_ "saving people thing"_ as the teacher's had called it.

The years rolled by his eyes until he saw his younger self bouncing around the house screaming about his Hogwarts letter finally showing up. Then the scene shifted and his eyes almost bugged out of his metaphorical skull as it had in fact not been Hagrid, the lovable giant, that had come to guide him as he acquired his items from Diagon Alley, no it had been Albus himself that had shown up.

He severed the connection as he reached the part where his aunt and uncle had dropped him off at the station and said their goodbyes.

"He lived a good life, I'm proud to carry it on." Harry stated as he looked his aunt in the eye with the first genuine smile he could remember giving her.

"I hope you can consider this your home again, even after everything you said happened" Petunia said as she resumed her seat with a slightly shaken looking Dudley.

"You okay there, duds?" Harry asked absentmindedly with the nickname he had used for his cousin in their last meeting.

"I was a bully?" He muttered darkly as he stared at Harry as if pleading him to say it was a lie.

"You didn't know better. Honestly I'm starting to suspect that you were all under a spell…" Harry paused as he talked, a thought striking him "actually… wait a second" Harry almost ran outside the house where he summoned his staff and slammed it into the ground, causing a large bubble of light to appear and vanish over the home of the Dursleys.

Harry stared at it slack jawed for a moment before cursing in a language his relatives didn't recognize.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Vernon asked as he looked around the street to make sure no one caught his nephew's stunt.

"The wards around the house… they are different… they feel… less malicious than the ones I remember" Harry explained as best he could.

"Dumbledore placed them himself with the help of a gentlemen we didn't know, he introduced himself as Nicholas." Vernon informed his nephew as he guided him inside the house again.

"There's so much that has changed…" Harry muttered as he fell into the chair. Right this moment, he was feeling his actual age.

"How about you go and take a nap in your room. Maybe it will help you to sleep on all this information." Petunia suggested with a motherly smile.

"Yeah… thanks. Is it still the last door on the left?" Harry asked as he headed towards the stairs.

"It is." Petunia nodded and Harry smiled in return.

The door looked almost unrecognizable to Harry without all the locks. He turned the handle and when the door opened he felt more tired than ever as he drank in the appearance of the room. It looked like an eleven year old's room was supposed to. A few toys scattered around, a messy closet and a nice comfy bed that looked very welcoming.

As he flopped down on the soft mattress he caught sight of the image on the bedtable and a warm feeling flowed through him as he felt Morpheus claim his mind. The knowledge that his mother and father were watching over him from right next to his bed.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

Summer became… harsh… for Harry. One would surely think that coming here, realizing that the relatives you knew as being torturing monsters was in fact not, would be something to celebrate. Harry could not celebrate even if he wanted to. Most nights he would wake up drenched in sweat, half screaming his lungs out under a silencing charm. Just being in the house brought back the nightmares and most mornings he had trouble even speaking to his family. When Petunia had admonished him for starting breakfast at seven he had almost recoiled from her. Apparently, Petunia always made breakfast for eight during the weekends or vacations.

Speaking with his aunt had revealed many things about his young self's life. He had been a happy child, always so curious about everything, something Dumbledore had found profoundly amusing at first. Then Harry got around to asking about things he knew about, mainly his aunt Annabeth. Petunia hadn't spoken fondly of the woman at first, still mad about having her memory erased and subsequently returned to her. She did talk about her younger years where Annabeth would play with Lily as much as she could remember, then one day it was simply as if she had never existed.

At least that much had been preserved through to this time, Harry wasn't sure if he could have handled losing Annabeth or Celeste.

He got letters from Vanessa every so often, usually asking him how he was doing and when he was going to come to her home. He had been putting off for a long while, and despite Vanessa insistence that her parents had changed from what she remembered, he was still weary.

His personal search over the summer for the Horcruxes hadn't gone as planned either. Every method he tried had failed. With the fragments within the ring and cup destroyed that left the Diadem, Diary, Snake and himself. The Locket had, thankfully, still been in the Black residence and Kreacher had only been too happy to finally fulfill his masters wish of destroying the damned thing.

The search for Ravenclaw's Diadem was bringing Harry to the very edge of his patience. He knew countless rituals and spells meant for tracking Dark objects but none of them pointed towards the remaining soul containers. At this point, Harry was ready to go and ask… no beg… for help from Amorpha and her Dark Elves. Voldemort had, in a sense, fucked with the entire Dark Elven people when he used that bastardized version of Soul Magic to split his into pieces, surely the Dark Elves would help him for that reason alone… wouldn't they?

With a grumble, Harry slipped his legs off the bed and sat up. He reached out and grabbed the tome lying neatly on his desk next to the image of his parents. As his fingers touched the leather bindings, his body began to change and grow. Slowly the image of Harry Potter, 11 year old Wizard bled away and was replaced with a 25 year old Ace, professional Hitman.

It was a neat little spell that Amorpha had taught him back when they had met. It was a twist on an aging spell, in essence it allowed the user to twist their appearance to that of their older selves and back again. Amorpha had a certain… preference… when it came to her men, and the idea that Harry could freely transform between ages had been a sexual fantasy of the Dark Queen.

Opening the ancient tome, Harry ran a gentle finger down the browning pages with a fond smile on his lips. This was something he had sorely missed to read. The Potter Family Grimoire had been passed down from generations long gone by and now it was Harry's as the Head of House Potter. Within lay many a spell of ancient origin, written in languages long forgotten. He was looking through these ancient texts to find something that could help him locate the remaining Horcruxes, worst case scenario saw him returning to the Ashwoods to request a favor… he dreaded thinking about the price.

Shaking his head with a humorless smile, Harry placed the Grimoire back on his desk and rose to his full height, enjoying the sensation of once more having the reach of his adult body. Privately he had been having thoughts about using this spell with Vanessa to allow them to once more share the physical bond that had tied them so close in the past. But he knew not the limitations of the spell and didn't wish to risk it, of course he could ask the Dark Elves about that too…

He felt like he was just looking for an excuse to go now.

Was he though?

Did he desire to that place once more?

To ask for information that, surely, would hold a steep price for both himself and those he loved?

It was his last idea, perhaps one should follow it. Heaving a great sigh, Harry carried himself out into the shower of the Dursley household and enjoyed a long cold shower before preparing himself for the thing he had been dreading ever since he went back to see Amorpha after his rebirth.

He was going to introduce Vanessa and his Queen.

Merlin, Morgana and The Goddess have mercy…

* * *

**A/N: Woo another chapter. Woo Harry has actually suffered mental damage from working as a bloodthirsty killer his entire adult life and the things the Dursleys did to him, who knew? Next time, Amorpha Vs. Vanessa, who will come out on top?!**

**Okay, not really, next time is another "Before the Rebirth" Chapter and after that we are having the catfight of the millennia. I hope to see you all there. By the by here is a small teaser about next time…**

_"Annabeth, can I ask you something?" at her nod, Harry continued "How come you keep referring to my mother as your sister when you are a Potter?"_

**Make of this what you will, until next time.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**

_**PS: Chapter 1+2 got a little love aka: removing the *shrugs* and the like from them.**_


	18. Chapter 18

**Before the Rebirth**

"Harry James Potter, you infuriating piece of hippogriff dung! Just what in the name of Morgana's ass did you think you were doing!?" A beautiful young woman with brimming silver hair roared as she practically jumped out of the Floo.

"I… um… thought… you see… I thought… ehm…?" Harry stammered wildly as the woman closed the distance between them with a few large steps and grabbed the front of his shirt, lifting him off the sofa and shaking him in best cartoon style.

"Of all the bloody idiotic things to do! Full well knowing how incompetent your ministry is and just how untrustworthy your so called "friends" had proved themselves in the past! And you still go when they call as if a random letter summoning you to the ministry for "reasons pertaining to the safety of wizarding kind" mere days after you killed Voldemort?! Do you have anything to say in your defense?!" The woman roared as she kept shaking him so hard that his glasses fell off.

Annabeth rose from her seat and placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulders. "Celeste dear, I don't think he can answer with you treating him like your favorite plushy."

Celeste's head turned to stare at her mother before exclaiming. "I don't treat Mr. Snuggles anything near this violently! And Mr. Snuggles also knows not to misbehave," her gaze then fell onto Harry again, "unlike this idiot!" Finally she dropped Harry back onto the sofa.

Poor Harry fell like a sack of potatoes and ended up half lying down on the sofa, staring at the woman who was still glaring at him with her hands firmly planted on her shapely hips.

"Ehh…" Was the genius words the great Harry James Potter spoke in his defense.

Celeste's eyes narrowed even further as she looked ready to reach for him again before stopping herself with a large breath and what appeared to be a silent count to ten. When her raging purple eyes fell upon Harry's sprawled form once more, the young Wizard felt his core churn and almost beg for him to run away.

Harry drew another blank when the anger in the woman's eyes vanished and a few tears took its place. Before he knew it, her angry frown had turned to the half-way point between a smile and a sob and she had thrown herself onto the sofa and engulfed him in a hug as she began bawling her eyes out into his chest.

Harry looked at Annabeth with a face that screamed 'What the fuck is happening?!'

"That's my daughter. Celeste Potter." Annabeth explained with a small smile. "She's been worried sick about you for a very, very long time. When we found you in the hospital with your eye missing… she almost broke."

Harry didn't need to speak, his face clearly expressed his thoughts. 'But we've never met.'

"She always considered you a brother. Short perhaps only of myself, she has spent more time keeping watch over you all these years. Had it not been for direct orders and threats against us all, she would likely have interfered in your life at some point."

Harry's arms tightened around the woman in his arms and a smile crept unto his face. It was nice knowing that there had been someone caring for him so much over the years aside from Remus and Sirius.

It took almost a full hour before Celeste was both done crying and cleaning herself up enough that she could lead a meaningful conversation with anyone. For the most part she just wanted to know what Harry's life had been like growing up. She had missed a few parts of it as she was on duty at the time and such wasn't able to watch him.

Harry had told her everything she wanted to know, which only made her switch between anger and sadness multiple times through the stories. In the end she had to retire for the day and return to her own home, she had some things to prepare for over the next few days. Though she did promise to come back and visit Harry again soon, she figured they would have more to talk about after Harry made her promise to tell him her side of the story.

This led to Harry and Annabeth sitting comfortably in the living room late one night, a book in their hands and a good bottle of Firewhisky sitting on the table. Harry had a question that he had been dying to ask for a while and figured now was a good a time as any, so with a deep breath, he spoke.

"Annabeth, can I ask you something?" at her nod, Harry continued, "How come you keep referring to my mother as your sister when you are a Potter?"

Annabeth's smile soured a bit as she looked away. "Damn Potters, always picking up on the small things…" she released a large breath as she ran a hand through her hair "I was indeed born a Potter. Charles Potter met my mother when he was away on business and the union resulted in a child, me. Charles wanted me to carry the name but refused to let me live anywhere near the "real" Potter's. You know where you mother grew up?" Harry shook his head "Cokeworth, England. As it would happen I was "deposited" there alongside my mother so that Charles could keep an eye on us and ensure we didn't do something to dishonor the Potter name."

Annabeth took another breath as she scratched her chin in a sign of annoyance; clearly something about this story just annoyed her.

"I ended up living next to a particular family, the Evans family to be exact." Harry's eyes widened and Annabeth allowed herself a small smirk "I practically grew up with your mother. Lily and I would play together whenever we could and it was the time of my life, I tell you. When I turned 8 my mother died in a mugging and rather than allow me to be sent to an orphanage, Mr. and Misses Evans took me in. I already considered Lily a sister but the bond only grew stronger as we grew older. Then our Hogwarts letters came and we were both so excited. While in Hogwarts I was placed in Hufflepuff and your mother in Ravenclaw. We usually met in secret and our bond only grew closer. Your father was a right prat, just so you know. He mellowed out around sixth year just around the time Lily began taking him seriously as well."

"But why was I never told? Snape surely would have remembered you, or my aunt petunia?" Harry asked with confusion written across his face.

"As Hogwarts came to an end and the War took hold, I realized that I needed to separate myself from everything. I bought a small home near Bettyhill in Scotland where I ended up meeting my husband and Celeste's father. But you see Harry, before I left I went to the Evans family and erased myself from their memories. I'm sure old greasy still remembers me, but he never made the rather obvious connection I had to Lily since he only spent time with her when no one was around." Annabeth explained.

"Wasn't my mother angry that you erased her parent's memories?"

"Oh she was furious. But I explained my reasons and she respected that I wanted to live a life away from the Wizarding world and their war. We said our goodbyes but stayed in contact and I got pulled back into the Wizarding world when the War reached me. Celeste had barely been born before her father was killed in a Death Eater raid. That is what prompted me to return and find your mother. I'll tell you one thing, your old man almost shat himself what I introduced myself." Annabeth laughed slightly at the memory as she looked expectantly at Harry.

"Dad didn't know?" he asked.

"Charles never told anyone but Gringotts. It took a bit of convincing and an oath, but he ended up believing me. So there you have it. Though I was born a Potter and James was indeed my half brother by blood. Lily was my real sister in everything but blood, and on my life and magic I will swear to that until the end of days." Annabeth replied with a large grin.

"Must have seemed a weird coincidence that dad ended up with mom." Harry replied with his own smile.

"Oh please. I had resigned myself to a strange life the moment I met your mother. Boy did she deliver."

* * *

**A/N: I hope that answered some of your questions regarding how Annabeth can be related to both James and Lily. Personally I have always been of mind that a certain saying rings very true; "Friends are the family you choose." Something I try to live by.**

**Anyway things might slow down a little from here, update wise. The entirety of February I will be in Seattle, Washington for some work. So one more update might come out before I leave, and depending on my schedule in Seattle a chapter more might be released when I'm over there.**

**Have a good one everyone.  
-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**WARNING: M Rating coming into play here!**

**A/N: Okay you guys need a warning. This chapter will fully demonstrate how horrible Amorpha really is, what happens in this chapter can be called borderline rape (if not outright actually being it) and if that makes you uncomfortable… then I suggest reading until you see it start and then skip to the last two lines of the chapter, or skip this chapter entirely.**

**I took no pleasure in writing this particular part.**

* * *

**After the Rebirth**

Something caught in Harry's throat as he looked upon the home of the Dark Elves. The giant white castle rose proudly into the skies, the white color shone brightly in stark contrast to the charred skin of its people. The spires rose far beyond the cloudless skies and bloomed like the tranquil obsidian roses which the people coveted so dearly.

He had never stood inside those hallowed halls. His eyes had never besmirched its beauty for he had never been this close. He had only ever stood in their lands twice. The first time he had felt the grass dance between his toes as his feet dug themselves into the soft earth, the smell of the trees in Brocéliande filled his nostrils. It was there his vision had first been graced by the visage of Amorpha.

There, deep within the forest, on a bed spun of Elderwood, their bodies had united and the forest around them sung as they made… _love_… yes, love… for love it was. For however short a moment, their two souls had sung in unity and they had expressed all they could to one another in their embrace.

The second time he smelled the trees and felt the earth, he had paid the price for his failure. His honor stripped from him due to his own foolishness. A price steeper than he could ever imagine was demanded and he had consented without thought.

Now, here, today, he was presenting all that he was, all he would be and all he could be to his Queen. He would leave it with her to determine his future, whatever he would have one with his love or if he was once more doomed to serve alone. He turned and looked upon her, the woman he loved. Her beautifully rosy lips parted as she gaped at the magnificence of the castle.

He smiled to himself. Though she was furious at the price and would fight it, he could not help but smile warmly at her astonishment. She had been the supporting pillar in his life for many years after they met, he still remembered the day as if it was yesterday. Two confused people, staring down one another as a fire burned around them, it was almost symbolic of how their life together would become. Fiery.

Grasping her hand in his, he braved a smile as he began guiding her towards the gates. Even from afar the darkness of the Dark Elven armor pierced through the light and clearly displayed to all who would pass by, here was nothing for you to gain, and only death awaits those who would strike at our heart.

A lesson, he realized, the goblins had learned long ago with painful repercussions.

The guards made no movement to stop them, they not even as much as looked upon their forms as the gates parted and the innermost sanctum of the Dark Elven people was revealed to them. Through the gates stood a dark elf. He was dressed in a silvery suit and looked upon them with welcoming eyes. No words were spoken as he gestured for them to follow.

The castle was beyond description. Artwork of countless civilizations, current and long forgotten, hung on the walls. Portraits of great minds and legendary heroes stood out to the two young magicals. One image in particular caught their interest. It was a man sitting in a plain dark green robe. He sat in a plain wooden chair that seemed to be regular oak. His hair, short and ghostly white, was slightly obscured by the hood he had half pulled over his head. His jaw was pointy and his nose, crooked from birth, helped frame his square face. Though it was the eyes that drew their attention the most, electric blue eyes that, even in the still painting, brimmed with power and ferocity that neither child had known in their two lives.

Lowering their eyes to the plaque underneath, gasps of surprise escaped both at what was written.

_Father of the Queen, Myrddin Emrys_

To one of them, it fit strangely, with what little he knew of the Dark Elves. Certainly there had been humans, dwarfs, goblins, centaurs, dryads and many other races that had been part of the royal family. To claim that the Dark Elven genes were strong would never do it justice. As far as history had proven, anyone who either sires or bears a child with a Dark Elf will produce a Dark Elven child.

"Is it really him?" There was a shiver in her voice, fear, or perhaps awe; he had a hard time telling.

"I won't doubt it," his own tone shaky, "There have never been much concrete information about Merlin, so perhaps this would explain why his grave lies within the forest."

Their guide coughed and, with an annoyed expression, gestured them to follow him once again. Clearly they had caused some sort of delay that their attendant had wished to avoid. So they continued down the halls, mesmerized by the sights they were privy too. There were many things that Harry began watching for, particularly he was searching for an image of someone, a woman. Someone whom had silently guided him along before he was given a second chance.

"We are here." The annoyance had clearly not left the attendant as he gestured to a large set of doors leading into a closed room.

Steeling their nerves, the two grabbed a handle each and pushed upon the door. It felt as if they made of feathers, gliding open into a magnificent sitting room. There, sitting in a lavish purple chair at the other side of the room, sat Amorpha, Queen of the Dark Elves. Though it was not the visage that Harry had witnessed upon his return, gone was the ten feet tall embodiment of power, and in its place sat the woman whom had conquered his heart for a single, beautiful moment in time.

Gone was the silver transparent sash that had presented her lustful body in all its glory, in its place was a long, flowing dark maroon dress that reached far beyond the mere chair she so lazily sat in. It was, seemingly, held up by nothing but the Queen's voluminous breasts as it cut off teasingly, displaying the faintest silhouette of her dark gray areola. Her long slender neck, so invitingly kissable, ran long into her beautiful face, which in turn brought all attention to her crimson eyes, and the piercing gaze that saw right to your soul.

A gaze that was aimed at the two of them.

The silence was heavy. The only sound going through the room was the sound of the two humans breathing. For the longest time there was no reaction, Amorpha didn't move or speak, her cold gaze swept over them repeatedly. Assessing them.

The groaning sound of the cushion echoed uncomfortably through the room as Amorpha stood. Her long dress seemed to shrink slowly, growing ever shorter until it stopped just a few inches over her ankles, revealing her bare feet. There was no sound as she took short measured steps towards her two guests, her chest bouncing with each footfall.

She stopped just a few feet from them and her gaze softened. Slowly her lips parted as if she would speak, only for more silence to spread through the room. Neither of the two could react as Harry's body began changing against his will. The spell he had used just a few days prior taking hold over him and transforming him from a frail eleven year old, into the durable form of his 25 year old self.

Vanessa tried to speak, wishing to express her surprise over what she had just seen. Only to find that her mouth was not obeying her commands, neither was any other part of her body. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amorpha's mouth move once again, only now it seemed directed towards her. Her eyes bulged and she felt like vomiting as the spell hit her. The feeling her limps growing and her muscles tearing and reforming along with her bones were almost unbearable.

Finally she felt like she had regained a small amount of control, at least over her head. She looked down and recognized her own 25 year old body. At first she was quite happy, ecstatic even, over having her older body back, until she saw the way Amorpha was looking at her. When the Queen was gazing at Harry, it was soft, loving, like a daughter would look upon her father. When she looked at her… it was lecherous, sexy and predatory.

She wanted to move, run or flee as Amorpha took two steps and stopped before her. The two were the same height now and the crimson orbs of the Queen drilled into her mind, stripping every defense she thought she had and her entire life and existence was laid bare before the Dark Elven Queen. She felt dirty and violated as the Queen glided through her mind as if she was taking a stroll. Her every dark secret and perverted desire brought to the edge of her mind.

When she felt a breeze pick up through the room she looked down to see herself bare as the day she was born, her pink puffy nipples standing erect and the feeling of excitement sliding down her warm thighs. She wanted to scream and yell! Just do something as Amorpha's hand slowly rose and squeezed her breast, but her body was completely immobilized, it was like somebody had but her under and overpowered body bind. All she could do was watch as the Queen squeezed her soft mounds, as if she was evaluating her. Her lips forced themselves apart to let a moan escape as she felt two fingers running over her wet labia. Her teeth clenched as she tried to stop the pleasurable scream that threatened to escape when she felt the long warm tongue of the Queen circle her nipple. She turned her head to look pleading towards her fiancé, begging him with her eyes to make her stop, only for her eyes to widen at what she saw.

Harry stood stock still, his skin paler than she had ever seen it before, sweat practically pouring off him. His muscles strained, almost as if he was fighting all he could against whatever was restraining him. His eyes kept looking towards her, an inferno of rage burning hotter than she had ever seen before.

Her head was forced to look forward again, courtesy of the slender fingers gripping it. For a second she made eye contact with Amorpha, then she felt something soft against her lips. Her mind was raging and cursing over the way her knees were wobbling and the moans that escaped her, she didn't want to enjoy this! Finally her worst fear was realized when she felt the two fingers that, until now, had only been moving in a gentle rhythm over her moisture, part her inner lips and slide along her inner walls. She cried into Amorpha's mouth and wanted to do nothing more but bite off that infernal tongue that was doing unspeakable pleasures to her mouth. The rhythmic pounding of the Queen's fingers inside her soon made her reach her peak and her toes curled and her mouth was finally free to lead out her orgasmic scream as her juices sprayed over the floor. Her legs gave up and she fell to the ground as her body stopped shaking and her pulse lowered after her orgasmic high.

No longer under the bind of the spell, Vanessa's tears rolled freely as her cries of anger and guilt echoed through the room. When she could finally see through the tears, all she saw was a careless Queen looking at her wet fingers, before that long greedy tongue snaked out through those perfect lips and took a long sweet taste of her excitement.

Then those crimson orbs once more zeroed in on her and all the anger, guilt and pleasure she had felt vanished into nothingness, fear completely overtaking her every sense.

"Do you see my power?" the voice was like silk washing over her body, threatening to reignite her sex, "do you understand that within these walls, every thought, every idea and every move is made known to me?" Vanessa felt her limbs forced apart until she laid with her legs and arms spread to the side. "I could do more… I could make you watch as I took what I wished from your love," to punctuate her words, Amorpha stripped Harry of his clothes, "I could make you watch as I thrust myself upon him, forcing sounds from him that only I know he can make." Then her dress began shrinking again, it didn't stop until Amorpha was wearing nothing more but a loose fitting top. "Or I could make you pleasure me, make you bend to my every whim." Amorpha accentuated this by lowering her dripping sex within inches of Vanessa's mouth. "_Or…_" The dress vanished completely and its place fiery red armor seemed to grow from her skin, Vanessa could only watch in horror as an armored hand grabbed the sides of her jaw and hefted her off the ground. "I could rip you apart, make you endure things so horrible that you would beg for death." Slowly she was lowered to the ground, her legs surprisingly supporting her to stand. "And you thought you could come in here and demand something of _me?!_" Amorpha's voice finally reached a pitch that befitted her, now clearly visible, rage.

Vanessa shivered as a cold armored gauntlet landed on her stomach, right over her uterus. "Simply because you will carry my future husband," armored nails dug into her skin, "and trust me, you will, whatever you wish to or not. Does not mean that you can demand _anything_ from me, **girl**. You were clearly under the delusion that I had suggested to Harry that you two had a choice in the matter. So let me be completely clear. _**You will carry the next Prince Consort of the Dark Elves. Even if I have to force Harry's cock into your quivering cunt and squeeze the semen from his balls. You. Will. Carry. The. Child!**_"

Vanessa looked just as a pale as Harry now, if not even more so. Her every thought was of fear, her every instinct telling her to obey anything this woman in front of her was saying or face death. How could Harry speak of this woman with such reverence, such compassion… such love? Finally she managed to nod weakly through the binding spell.

Amorpha's armor slowly began bleeding away, the crimson liquid dripping from her body and seemingly getting absorbed by the castle itself until all there was left was a long, flowy maroon dress hugging Amorpha's body once again. Amorpha flicked her hand lazily and the two fell to the ground. Harry was by Vanessa's side before she could utter a sound and pulled her into an embrace. The warmth of her love's body against her own helped to calm her, but the tears fell regardless. Never before had Vanessa felt so… useless… so weak… so _helpless._

"Now with that taken care of and established. What brings you to my castle, oh future parents of my husband?" the sarcasm was clear and dripped like honey from her every word.

Vanessa couldn't muster herself to answer, and Harry… Harry was shaking with rage. He relinquished the hold on his love and stood, clothes forming on his person as he did. His emerald eyes locked with his Queen's crimson orbs, raw unbridled fury spilling from him. He reached for Thymea only for his Queen to raise her hand.

"Not you." She stated plainly. "I know what you came for." She had waved with her hand as she spoke and a dark elven woman had stepped into the chamber, she was wearing a plain white vest with matching leather pants, her bare feet barely made any sound as she walked next to Harry. "Hela will take you to the library, there you can find the information you need. We shall discuss this… Voldemort… and his blatant defilement of Soul Magic at a later date." With those words she dismissed them both.

He wanted to stay, every part of his being screamed for him to protect his intended. But that small part of his mind that functioned only on logic told him to leave, to not test his Queen on this. He felt his legs beginning to move on their own, undoubtedly because he did not do so on his own in time. The last thing he heard before the doors to the sitting room closed shut behind him was Vanessa being sat in a chair and the words of his Queen rang through his mind, scorching like a thousand suns;

"_We have much to discuss my dear…"_

* * *

**A/N: So yeah… Amorpha is not some benefactor that just helps Harry because she feels he deserves it. She has two things in mind, her own wishes and guaranteeing the birth of her future husband. **

**If I stepped on someone's toes during this chapter, I apologies but I feel it was needed to fully display just what sort of shit show Harry and Vanessa has walked into. Next time… Vanessa and Amorpha talk, Harry discovers something he should never have seen and all around… everyone is fucked.**

**I hope you will still be around next time, and once again… I did not enjoy doing this to Vanessa or Harry. Even if you think it wasn't that bad… for me this made me nauseous.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	20. Chapter 20

**Warning: M-Rating still in effect. Like in the last chapter, Amorpha once more steps over the line so I recommend caution to those who dislike such scenes. If you wish, skip to the part where we rejoin Harry.**

**Once more, I did not enjoy writing this first part.**

* * *

The silence in the room was painful. Amorpha was sitting there in her chair, completely without care for what she had done. It made Vanessa's blood boil. Though she could still feel the trail of tears down her cheeks, the fury in her core outshined the sorrow.

"You seem angry, dear. Whatever could be wrong?" The Queen's tone was superior, demanding and somehow managed to be demeaning at the same time.

"You dare ask me that?! After what you did?!" Vanessa roared as loud as she could, nothing holding back the flood of anger.

Amorpha shrugged carelessly. She knew, she didn't care, she didn't see anything wrong with it either. She simply stared at Vanessa, daring her to say anything that might cross a certain line. A line that had been drawn when Vanessa collapsed, shaking, to the floor.

"You have questions, so please, do not waste more of my time than you already have. Once Harry returns from the library, this meeting will end and you will lose your only chance to get any sort of information from me." Amorpha drawled as she flicked some hair behind her pointy ear.

Vanessa sat silent for a few moments, thinking. Finally, she came to the first question, the one that had been burning since the Queen had first touched her flesh.

"Why? Why would you do something like that?" she asked, her tone barely more than a whisper in the wind.

"Because you were… defiant." Amorpha mused. "I told you when you, all your thoughts are privy to me for as long as you remain within my castle. You intended to threaten me, demand that I rescind my price for giving Harry a new staff. I couldn't let that stand." She finished with a feral grin.

"So you decided to… to r-rape me?" Vanessa whispered with calm fury.

"Hahahahaha!" The laugh was sudden and wild, reaching to the roof and back, carrying the mirth of the Queen everywhere. "You think that rape? Child, you have no idea what that word means here in our lands." The Queen finished with a growl.

Vanessa wanted to speak, but once more found her lips sealed. She glared at the queen, silently demanding to be allowed to say her piece.

"What I did to you was barely foreplay. As I said… I could do much worse." Amorpha's eyes turned bored as she lazily looked around the small room, as if looking for something. "I simply ensured that you knew where your place is. Below me."

Vanessa's eyes widened as her body struggled to stand. All it did was force her naked body to grind against the fabric of the chair. She looked down upon her naked form, annoyance clearly stricken across her features. When she turned to glare at Amorpha once more, she found the eyes of the Queen locked with her own, ridicule shining from those red orbs.

"You find your nudity annoying? Humans truly are strange." As if to enunciate her point, Amorpha's dress melted away to leave her sitting equally naked and staring pointedly at her guest. "If you cannot take pride in your own flesh, then why would you ever endeavor outside your small shacks?"

Finally, Vanessa felt her mouth capable of movement. "This is what I'm supposed to hand my son over to? Some nymphomaniac whore?"

The Queen merely chuckled at the insult, it burned something inside Vanessa, made her feel… inferior.

"You speak as if the pleasures of the flesh is something to be ashamed off." Her smile grew perverted as she rose from her seat. "I have seen your thoughts, your darkest desires." Slow, painfully so, steps brought her closer and closer. "You long for Harry's touch, to feel his girth inside you once again, like when you first met."

Vanessa would have screamed if she could open her mouth when a fist flew _through_ the back of the chair she sat in. A familiar set of slender fingers cupped her face. She felt Amorpha's warm breath over her lips as their faces were inches apart.

"Do you know how long I lusted for him? The night we shared deep inside the forest… he drew sounds from my throat I didn't know I could make, he reached places I didn't know could be reached." Vanessa's eyes followed the hand as it withdrew from the back of chair. She followed it all the way, until it vanished outside her view down towards her breast. "Then, finally, I track him down in the human world… _with you_. I finally thought I could have him again… enjoy more nights like our last… at least until he found the mother of my husband."

Vanessa had waited for the harsh grip on her chest, only it never came. Rather she felt a lone finger trail a line down her stomach and over her damp pussy. She managed to yelp as a full hand grasped her ass and pulled her body forward, bringing her lower body higher.

"Think of my… _displeasure_… when I was informed he had given his heart to another." Suddenly the finger was back, tracing long lines around her anus. "At first I thought it a simple slip, surely he couldn't have found the mother of my husband so soon…" the finger rose and slid inside her walls, moistening, "I performed every spell, checked everything six times over…" the finger rammed into her virgin asshole and a scream ripped through her throat and echoed into the room. "But you were the one, the Mother of the Prince." Her grin turned vile and sadistic as she increased the intensity of her prodding, the hand that used to hold Vanessa's face now grasping the Queen's own breast. "So yes, you _will _hand your son over to this… nymphomaniac… and I will treasure every moan and cry he makes, knowing it will bring you suffering until the end of your days."

Finally, the finger left her sore opening and she watched in horror as Amorpha mounted the chair, placing her dripping sex right in front of her face. She watched as everything jiggled with the Queen's laugh and a horror gripped her heart.

"Now I will take the pleasure I require from _you_. If you do well enough… perhaps you will leave with your mind intact." The last words of defiance died in Vanessa throat as her mouth filled with the Queen.

**Earlier with Harry**

Harry felt… angry? Definitely. Confused? Most certainly. Worried… beyond measure. For all he was, he couldn't understand why his Queen would do this to the woman he loved. It went beyond all his understanding. His mind rested slightly as the sight of the library reached him.

The royal library was truly a remarkable sight. In here, every form of knowledge pertaining to magic could most likely be found. Existing outside the passage of time allowed them to accumulate much knowledge that would otherwise be considered lost.

Harry gazed at his companion once more. Hela, the servant Amorpha had ordered to take him here. She wasn't that tall, 5 foot 1 at best. The white west hung loosely around her torso, allowing him a small view of the bumps behind it. An A-cup from the view, she didn't have much ass to show either, if the tight leather pants were any indication. Though her face was angular, a sharp chin and clear cheekbones, it was also distinctly feminine. Her hair hung loosely near her shoulders, clear signs of being cut by someone with great skill.

She did not look at him, not much at least. She would gaze at him when she thought he wasn't looking, her eyes focusing on his face and crotch most of the time. Though as he went deeper into the library, and she continued to follow, he thought it time for questions.

"Why do you continue to accompany me?" he began in a bored tone, "were you orders not to simply see me to the library?"

"Before you entered the castle, I was appointed as your personal servant, my lord." She replied in a soft tone.

"My lord?" he returned with confusion clearly on his face.

"Surely. You have been announced by the Queen as the future Father of the Prince. That gives you status equally to a high noble. All of us, short perhaps only of the Royal Guard and other nobles, are honor bound to obey your every command. As am I, for that matter." She explained with a slightly bowed head.

"Then explain to me what our Queen just did… why would she do such a thing to the woman I love?" he asked in a dark tone.

He saw how Hela's ears dropped ever so slightly, and indication of confusion for the Dark Elves.

"Our Queen established dominance. You brought a female here, one that didn't know her place. Our Queen merely ensured that your lover understood her place. We are, after all, a matriarchal society." Hela explained with a slightly reprimanding tone.

Harry didn't exactly like the explanation, but until he was allowed back inside with Amorpha, he couldn't get any other answer. He was content with asking Hela the location of a few books and let her guide him their respective shelves. The deeper into the library they went, the more sinister the books became. Finally Harry found what he was looking for, an ancient tome describing the acts one could perform with Soul Magic.

"Hela… you said I had status equaling to something you called a high noble, explain." Harry ordered as he began shifting through the tome, it was in Dark Elven and he needed time to decipher it.

Hela looked thoughtful for a few moments before she took a breath and spoke. "Our society is based around different enclave that decide our place in society.

The lowest enclave is the slaves. There is no benefit to being one and the chances of promoted are non-existent. The men can only hope to be born with big enough cocks to be noticed by the pleasure enclave, the women, if pretty enough, can be taken to the pleasure enclave as well or perhaps even picked by a noble to be their servant.

Above them is the Servant Enclave, the one I am part of. We serve the upper enclaves without question and can see promotions depending on how well we perform our duties. The most common promotion is to the Military Enclave due to displaying an impressive performance while we spar with one of the nobles. Then there is the more uncommon way. If a servant mates publically with an influential guest, they will often be promoted to the Pleasure Enclave.

Then we have the Military Enclave, they are permitted housing and family. They serve for their entire lives and rarely get promoted or demoted to other Enclaves, the most they hope for is to become part of the Royal Guard. They make up the majority of the population outside of the small villages.

The Pleasure Enclave enjoy the luxury of living in the Noble District, often living out of their Pleasure Houses. In rare cases they own homes of their own and perhaps have family, but most often those of the ones that are in the Pleasure Enclave are masters of the sexual and spend most of their lives providing just that, pleasure. Again, those of this enclave rarely seek promotion as the only ones above them are the Nobles. The most coveted thing for someone of the Pleasure Enclave is to be picked as the personal sex partner of the Queen for a time.

And finally, just below the Queen, is the Noble Enclave. The elite of our society that advice and govern most of our kind. When the Queen is too busy, they will rule in her absence. There are scarcely few ways to become a Noble, the most normal one is to be born into the position. Of course Noble's live in the Noble District and usually own large houses, most Noble families consists of one Matriarch with many husbands, or rarely, one high standing male with many wives." Hela breathed deeply as she finished her explanation and looked expectantly at Harry.

"The Noble Enclave, is it truly only by birth one can become part of it?" he asked, the book forgotten in favor of something equally interesting.

Here, Hela's cheek darkened and she looked like she wanted to hide. With an audible gulp and big breath she looked into his eyes and spoke.

"The only other way to become a noble is by bearing a child of noble birth. So if I were to mate with… as an example, you, in public and then carry your child, then since you are the Father of the Prince, I would be giving birth to the prince's brother and thus I would be birthing noble blood. If that were to happen, I would immediately be moved to the Noble Enclave and given a home. Unlike other nobles, I wouldn't be pressured into taking husbands, my attention would have to be solely on my child."

Harry stared in wide eyed wonder, it was perhaps not terribly complex, but he imagined that there was a few extra layers to each enclave that answered roughly to the political problems one would face in the Wizarding world.

"And you are all okay with this?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It is how it has always been done." Hela replied with a shrug.

Returning to the book, Harry looked over the segment about Soul Shattering, more commonly known as Horcruxes to the Wizarding world. Apparently, making these was not just bad, it was an abysmal practice that one should never indulge in. Had Voldemort done his studies, he might have found the same has Harry. By splitting his soul so many times, not only had ole Tommy painted a large target on his back, he had also ensured that when he died… well… it wasn't the judgement of heaven he was going to face.

The further he delved into the book, the more he felt hope rise in his chest. There were several ways to track the pieces as long as they had been inside the object for a lengthy time. The ritual to find them was… unpleasant, but not entirely undoable either. The darkest part was perhaps the requirement of a blood sacrifice by the caster.

But they had it. A way to find the Horcruxes, now they just needed to go collect them.

Flipping a few more pages in the book, he fell upon something that interested him. It was a short description of some of the magic used by the royal family, the Queens to be more exact. Apparently each Queen was taught, and later added too, a selection of spells from a certain book. The most prominent of which was the spell that allowed them total domain over the castle, allowing every thought and action of others to be known to them. At the same time, it also allowed the Queens to manipulate and force actions and thoughts upon others within the castle.

That would explain why Harry and Vanessa hadn't been able move. Flipping deeper into the book he came upon the last spell that most of the Queens would learn, he read the title and his eyes widened impossibly… if this was true… then… then… he should simply close the book and put it back, and he did so without a second thought.

Gazing over at Hela, he noticed that she had been staring at him for a while now. Her cheeks were still dark form earlier, and suddenly it hit him like a ton of bricks. Either she wanted him to mate with her, or she was seriously thinking he was planning on it.

"I've found what I need, take me back to our Queen." He ordered sternly, averting his gaze as quickly as possible.

He didn't see her reaction but heard the confirmation. Soon he was once more following the small Dark Elf back towards the chamber he had departed. His sense of time felt distorted, though his time in library felt only like ten minutes, he could swear that he had spent hours in there.

As the large doors once more came into view, Harry saw them opening and a fully dressed and smiling Vanessa walking out. His Queen right at her side, a small gentle smile on her lips.

"Harry, did you find what you need?" Amorpha asked as he approached.

Stopping for a short bow, he replied. "Indeed I did, my Queen. I now have the means to locate those vile objects and will be destroying them at first opportune moment."

Amorpha nodded sternly, her eyes darkening at the mention of those foul smirches on her beloved Soul Magic.

"Very good. It would seem your love and I have come to and understanding. I wish you the best of luck and we shall meet again once you have dealt with the child who fears death so greatly."

Harry and Vanessa bowed before Hela began guiding them back towards the entrance. They walked in silence, hands intertwined and smiles on their faces. Hela bowed respectfully to both and wished them the best, and voiced her eagerness for their return. They waved as they walked and soon stood at the edge of the forest. With one last look at the beautiful castle, Harry warped both of them away, leaving nothing but a gentle breeze in their wake.

Neither had noticed that upon the castle wall, Amorpha stood with a victorious smirk on her face as Hela walked up behind her and knelt deeply.

"I saw them off as you requested my Queen. Everything seems to go as you planned." Hela whispered as her white clothes vanished in the wind and black armor grew in its place.

"You did well, General. Take the day off, go visit the Pleasure Enclave. While you are there, let Minlos know I require him." Amorpha waved her hand dismissively as she spoke.

"Thank you, my Queen. Minlos shall be waiting in your chambers, ready to serve." With those words, Hela rose and vanished into the castle.

Amorpha stared out over the forest and her smile grew.

"Now prove it to me, Harry. Prove that you deserve the title of Herald, break my spell on your mind. And let us see… see if that girl you have given your heart deserves to stand next to you once her womb has performed its service." Her hand stroked her still damp cunt as her thoughts found voice. "I wonder… will she break if she finds the strength to undo the spell on her memory? I wonder, I wonder…" with those words she walked back into the castle, the human girl had been… delicious… but she needed something more… _filling._

* * *

**A/N: She's a piece of work that Queen Amorpha, isn't she? Then again, a few hundred years as Queen and you might start seeing things as "My way or execution" as well… or mind spell fuckery in this case. This will be the last time (I really hope) that I will write such scenes. Next time we rejoin Hogwarts as their second year comes underway and a sinister snake stirs in the castle.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The Hogwarts train barreled over the tracks, each of its marry passengers speaking among themselves about the year to come. Many of the first years were so excited they could barely sit still, in fact many of them was still running up and down the train. Some of them did stop by one particular door, mostly due to the odd blue hue shining around it. An older student had kindly informed them that it was a locking charm. What no one else knew was that there was a silencing charm in place as well, because the topic inside was not to be heard by outsiders.

"Run that by me again…" Vanessa said as she stared skeptically at her lover.

"What part of it don't you understand?" Harry grumbled in return, sick of getting questioned on the particulates of the ritual.

"The part where my fiancé decided to perform a ritual that involves using a piece of a _soul_, lodged inside his thick skull, to track the other pieces of said soul. Of course the potential dying part is also nagging me, but hey, details right?!" Vanessa exclaimed as she threw her arms in the air.

"You're blowing out of proportion, you know that right?" Harry chided with a grin.

She blew a few raspberries back at him before grumbling, "am not. You really could die, you said so yourself."

"But I won't." He threw back. "We'll have Dumbledore's help and with his and my own magical power combined we should be able to do the ritual without risking any severe backlashes."

Vanessa sighed deeply but ended up with a smile on her face as she looked lovingly at her Harry.

"I know… but I worry, you know that. I just wish that you could have found something else in that book that might have told you more about the ritual."

Harry's left eye twitched at the words. When he tried to recall the memory he remembered the book perfectly, but anything past the ritual it felt hazy… had he been too tired after all?

"As do I, but there are limits to what they could let me read. I'm still more surprised that you ended up getting along with my Queen."

Vanessa nodded sagely with an odd look of confusion. "Yeah, funny how things end up huh? I honestly expected us to have the shouting match of the century, but she was remarkably cool about everything. You were right though, she did try to make me live in the Ashwoods after our son is born." She smiled sheepishly as she looked out the window. "I told her that I'd think about it."

Harry grinned up a storm the rest of the trip to Hogwarts.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled madly as he watched the new students walk through the great hall for the first time. Ahh there was a wonder here, young minds discovering the vastness of magic for the first time. It gave new energy to his old bones and warmed his heart. He watched as they stopped when McGonagall commanded them to and everything went silent for him as he watched each of their faces.

They all held smile so bright that even the night sky could not compare. For to him, each of those smiles represented something greater, they represented the future of their world. One particular face caught his attention, young Luna Lovegood did not look around like the others, rather her focus seemed split. Constantly he caught her sight shifting towards the Ravenclaw table and two very specific people.

Many years in the political arena allowed Albus to keep the surprise off his face. Much like young Luna kept looking towards them, Harry and Vanessa were both looking at her with smiles so full of warmth and love that he could have mistaken them for looking at family.

There was much more to the young couple than he had imagined. How many of these faces had they looked upon before? How many of them had Harry had to stop himself from greeting with an unfitting familiarity? It would be best not to dwell in his old age, if they wished to tell him, they would. After all it was now time for his favorite part, the sorting.

Harry and Vanessa watched on with bright smiles as each young child sat upon the chair and had a name called out from that old Albinius. Their eyes had never left their initial target. That platinum blonde hair was impossible to mistake for anyone else.

"She looks so much… happier… than I remember." Vanessa whispered. Her head finding its way to Harry's shoulder.

Beneath the table, Harry grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Perhaps… perhaps her mom is alive in this time." He smiled sadly at the memory of a Luna that would cry each year on her mother's death day. "This time we can help her right from the start."

He felt Vanessa nod against his shoulder as she spoke. "It's so weird, watching the woman whom I stood as maid of honor for, standing there as a child… she is so cute."

Harry felt Vanessa squeeze his hand a little tighter as her voice broke slightly. "Do you think Matthew is out there somewhere, just waiting for his crazy witch to fall on him again?"

Returning the squeeze, Harry hid his own doubt behind a wall of fake confidence. "I'm sure of it. Then or now, this life or our last. Matthew and Luna were meant to be… and I can't wait to meet him again."

She nodded one last time as Luna took the seat. There was a long pause, longer than there had to be as Luna conversed with Albinius about her placement within Hogwarts. Odd, Harry thought, there should not be any doubt as to where she should be.

"RAVENCLAW!" the old hat finally bellowed and the entirety of Ravenclaw rose in cheer for their newest member.

Luna jumped off the chair and with careful steps made her way to the end of Ravenclaw table. She took the seat that a pretty second year offered her and saw as the girl smiled widely at her, she knew who the second year was before she spoke.

"Hi, I'm Vanessa, welcome to Ravenclaw." The pretty girl said.

"I know." Luna replied with a small smile.

"Oh do you now?" Vanessa began with a teasing tone. "How did you learn that?"

Luna raised her head and looked straight at Harry with a slightly bigger grin. "Daddy is friends with Dumbledore. He let it slip that there was at least two people in Ravenclaw that would like me, you and Harry."

Vanessa grinned herself as she slung her arm around the younger claw, surprising the blonde-haired girl. "Indeed, indeed and how right he was. Stick with me, kiddo, and I'll show you a whole new world."

Luna smiled widely as she scooted a little closer to the older girl before reaching for her first piece of food, her little introduction with Vanessa having gone over Dumbledore's opening remarks.

The meal went by quietly. Vanessa spent the majority of the time prodding Luna for information about herself, often taking every shot she could at embarrassing the little girl. It continued all the way up to the common room and lasted right until they shared a goodnight. Though where Luna went to catch some much needed sleep, Vanessa stayed in the common room, a smiling Harry watching from one of the tables.

"She's so happy… her mom is alive… her dad is alive. Her life has been just as she had always wanted it." Vanessa mumbled as she joined Harry at the table.

"It would certainly seem so. We have a meeting with Albus, best get going." Harry agreed and led the way to the aged Headmasters office.

"So… crazy large snake slumbering right underneath the school?" Vanessa asked along the way.

"Yup." Harry chirped.

"Going to do anything about it?"

"At one point."

"Why not just kill it now?"

"Might not be needed."

"Ookay… can I help?"

"Sure."

Vanessa stopped both of them by grabbing Harry's arm and turning him around so she could look at him.

"For real?" she asked.

"After I'm done training you, sure." Harry agreed with a nod.

"Training?"

"I said I was going to turn you into a Sorceress, and I am. We start in a few weeks with a ritual, then some more intense training. We should be a good bit of the way by the end of the year." Harry explained.

"Okay, sounds good to me." She replied as they resumed their walk, a few paces from the stone gargoyle, she spoke again, "so what ritual?"

Harry sighed deeply as he stared at the gargoyle. "Chocolate Dipped Apples." The gargoyle began moving… slowly. "Stupid password." He turned to face Vanessa "It's a ritual to make this," he tapped the center of her chest with his knuckles, "grow stronger and more resistant to rapid increase. The exercises we are going to be doing will forcefully expand your magical core tenfold. Without the ritual you would imitate Hermione when she killed us."

"Bitch…" breathed Vanessa as they ascended the staircase and entered the office.

"Harry, Vanessa, welcome back to Hogwarts." Albus declared with a smile as he conjured to pleasant seats in front of his desk.

They chorused a thank you before sitting down and grabbing a piece of the offered candy.

"So your letter indicated that you had found something when you visited the Dark Elves?" Albus opened the talk.

"Indeed. It's an old ritual, dark if you believe the ministry, but it will help us locate the other Horcruxes by using the one stuck in my scar." Harry explained carefully.

Dumbledore hummed to himself a little before speaking. "Do you have a list of materials?"

Harry handed him a piece of paper while he quickly brandished his half-moon spectacles and looked over the list. A good few items indeed, quite dark some of them. All very easy to acquire for someone with his connections, but…

"It shouldn't poses a problem to acquire any of these items. Though it will have to be done over the year, quietly, as to not arouse suspicion. Many of these items, in different combinations, could be used for some dark magic."

Harry nodded, having already expected this when he looked over the ingredients himself. "Quite alright, Albus. Gives us more time to prepare anyway. I'll start my hunt for the diary as soon as possible, with a little luck, Ginny is still in possession of it and we can take it from there."

Dumbledore placed his spectacles on the desk and gazed at the two young people before him. "I'll admit, Harry, I'm not comfortable with not dealing with the basilisk right away. If anything has changed, just enough so that it is no longer Ginny…"

"I know." Harry interrupted, "but it that turns out to be the case, I'll take responsibility for it."

Dumbledore sighed tiredly but still managed a small smile. "Now I do believe I heard you talking about another ritual in the corridor, enlighten an old wizard?"

"I'm expanding Vanessa's magical core. I've intentions of making her a Sorceress much like I'm a Mage." Harry explained.

"Indeed?" Albus mused. "I shall not doubt your expertise on the matter. I have had precious little conversation with Mages myself. You are a secretive lot."

"That we are Albus. With good reason though." Harry agreed with a nod.

"Now, Miss Waver," Albus began as his twinkling eyes changed to the last person in the room, "I noticed you were getting quite friendly with the young Luna, do I sense a previous connection?"

Vanessa gave a low chuckle at the memory and nodded her head. "Indeed you do, Headmaster. I was Luna's maid of honor when she got married in our previous time."

Albus eyes twinkled madly, always happy to hear about such occasions. "Indeed? It warms my heart to hear that such a gifted child, like Luna found their special other."

Their conversation spun late, just enough for Albus to escort them back to Ravenclaw Tower to avoid getting punished by a professor. Though Albus didn't doubt that they wouldn't have gotten caught anyway.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

The months rolled by slowly for the pair. The ritual to expand Vanessa's core had been done unceremoniously inside the Room of Requirement without a single complication. Oh Vanessa had been tired for a few days as her newly expanded core filled up once gain, but after that she was back to being the hyper active witch Harry loved.

However, the hunt for the diary… that was an entirely different matter. At first, he had made a line straight for Ginverva's personal belongings, upon finding nothing he took to following the young witch around under his cloak in the hopes of catching her with the book. It never happened. He followed her far and wide, even going as far as following her inside the girls dormitories one night. Still nothing.

Vanessa hadn't had much luck either. Though she stuck with Harry most of the time, she had gotten a small circle of friends among the older Ravenclaws, her more mature mind leading her to them. One of them, a nice sixth year by the name Amanda, was a rumor queen that could rival even the Gryffindor Patil sister. Vanessa had, with the subtly of a brick, tried to find out if any girl had been a little to connected with her diary as of late. Even the Hogwarts rumor mill was dry on the subject… not a good sign.

So there they both sat, in the middle of a Charms Lesson, heads down and sour expressions on their faces. The charm covered that class, Harry had already mastered and passed on to her, so they weren't really listening.

"This isn't good, Ace. If Amanda couldn't find anything, and the Weasley didn't have the book… we're running out of time." Vanessa said using Harry's nickname as a sign of stress. Thankfully no one overheard as Harry had erected a silencing charm around them both.

"You're right, There's far too many students in the school to stalk each one individually, not to mention there hasn't been one person showing signs of possession… no nervousness, paranoia or signs of illness." Harry rebuffed as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"We need to do something… and soon…" Vanessa mumbled as she looked towards the door.

"You've been skittish all day, what's going on?" Harry asked as he grabbed her hand.

Vanessa looked around a little in concern before focusing entirely on him. "I've had a rotten feeling all day, like the Canada job… only… worse?" she tried.

That was more than enough assurance for him that something was off. The Canada job had been a colossal clusterfuck, nothing had topped it their entire career… they needed to get out of the class.

"AAAAAARGH!" A scream ripped through the halls of the school and within seconds there was a wild panic inside the Charms classroom.

Harry and Vanessa shared one look before the jumped over their tables and darted for the door, Filius was so busy calming the rest of the students that he didn't have time to stop them.

They sprinted as quickly as their legs could carry them, the sound of someone sobbing guiding their way through the halls. They almost skidded around a corner when they saw it and suddenly they both felt pits in their stomachs…

A girl was lying on the floor, still as if she was asleep.

As they approached they noticed the Hufflepuff coloring on her robes, the same as the girl sitting on the ground crying her eyes out. A fellow Hufflepuff from the robes.

"What happened?" Vanessa asked quietly of the girl as she brought her in for a hug.

The babble was incoherent and through the sobbing it was only worse. Harry chose to inspect the body… indeed she was dead, not petrified, dead. Looking around there was no sign of a possible reflective surface that the girl could have been saved by…

For the first time in a long time, Harry felt guilt. He had known the basilisk was here, he could have stopped it so easily… and yet he didn't.

Footsteps brought their attention towards the hall where a frantic Dumbledore was rushing towards them, all four Heads of House following in his wake. Professor Sprout gasped at the sight and rushed forward to inspect her charge, silent tears streaking down her cheeks as she realized the futility.

"Harry…" Dumbledore breathed as he took in the sight. "What happened?"

"We were in Professor Flitwick's class when a scream ripped through the halls," Harry indicated to the sobbing girl in Vanessa's embrace, "Vanessa and I rushed here while Professor Flitwick was calming the rest of the class, we found her crying over the other student. You appeared shortly after."

"Albus." Whispered Professor Sprout. "She's dead, her heart… it simply stopped. What could have done this?"

"I do not know, Pomona my dear. Rest assured… I won't rest until I find out." Dumbledore turned a harsh look upon Harry and the younger Wizard didn't flinch, but Albus could see the guilt in his gaze.

McGonagall took the crying Hufflepuff from Vanessa and guiding her towards the hospital wing, Pomona right behind her with the still body of the student levitating silently in front of her. Severus looked upon the scene and had so sorely wished to accuse the Potter brat of this, but he knew that the little snot wouldn't be capable of taking a life, not Dumbledore's golden boy. With a disdainful sniff he turned and stalked back towards the dungeons for his next potions lesson.

"My office, now." Ordered Dumbledore and neither of the two refused him.

"The Chamber, Harry, open it." Dumbledore finally said as they reached the office. "I will slay the beast myself if need be, but I will not stand idly by after this!" he thundered, "How am I to explain this to the DMLE? A student died on school grounds, her heart simply stopping… merlin save us." He finally said as he sunk into his chair.

"I'll do it." Harry replied to Albus surprise. "No one else dies, not because of my mistakes."

With a sharp nod, Albus rose and lifted his arm to Fawkes. "Grab my other arm you two," once they had hold he looked at Harry, "tell Fawkes where to go and we shall be there in an instant."

"First floor, girls lavatory. The entrance is beneath the sinks." Harry instructed and they vanished in flames.

They appeared inside the specified bathroom and Myrtle fled, screaming through toilet. Not sooner had he gotten his bearings before Harry practically roared _$OPEN!$_ at the sink in parseltongue.

"Merlin…" whispered Dumbledore as he saw the sink move aside to reveal the path towards the chamber.

"Let's go." Harry ground out as he jumped first, soon followed by the others.

They trudged through the ancient passage, bones cracking under their boots. They came upon a shed skin, massive in size. Harry almost choked at the sight… it was bigger than it should be, much bigger. He voiced as such and everyone had their wands at the ready.

The gate came into view and ice gripped their hearts, it was open still. They rushed inside, Dumbledore leading the charge with a spell already on his lips… only to find nothing. The statue of Salazar Slytherin sat still, mouth wide open and no sign or sound of the monstrous beast that should have hidden within.

"Spread out and search, it has to be here!" Dumbledore whispered harshly to the two. After receiving nods of understanding, they parted.

They walked through the chamber, scouring every inch for a sign of the great serpent. All they found was silence and dread spreading through their cores.

"_Guys!" _Vanessa's voice rang through the pipes and moments later Fawkes appeared in a small flame, carrying Dumbledore and Harry. Vanessa gestured to a segment of pipe, broken. Harry inspected it while Dumbledore cast a spell and turned white as his beard.

"No…" he whispered.

"What is it, Albus?" Harry inquired.

"These pipes," he gestured to the path unbroken, "lead towards the rest of Hogwarts. But these…" he swung his wand over the broken segment that led into darkness, "lead out into the old sever system that runs under the entire grounds."

They both caught on instantly and their skin matched their aged Headmasters as they looked out into the darkness.

"The basilisk... it's free…" the words echoed endlessly in their minds.

* * *

**A/N: Dum di dum di dum… shit huh? ****Now leaving a basilisk alive wasn't all the brilliant was it? Hmm, hmm… I wonder, I wonder what will happen next. I always did wonder why the basilisk hadn't just been allowed to roam free to slaughter in the books, but again… too many purebloods at risk perhaps? Next time we'll be snake huntin, It'll be fun!**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**

**PS: Things might speed up a little from here, mostly because I don't want to bore you all with pointless filler.**


	22. Chapter 22

Dumbledore and Harry stood inside yet another abandoned classroom; this was their third of the day. The last three weeks had been a whirlwind of activity. Dumbledore had half been split between dealing with the DMLE and ensuring that he retained his position as Hogwarts Headmaster, and helping Harry look for the basilisk… so far no luck.

"Vestigium bestia!" Dumbledore exclaimed once again as he attempted to track the large beast. A few days ago, they had hit a small break as they had gotten a drop of the beast's magical signature. Ever since, Dumbledore had been using an old tracking spell to look for the beast.

"How can such a thing even hide?" Harry growled as he used his own selection of spells to look for anything.

"The basilisk, though great in size, is still a natural predator. It knows how to hide in the most unlikely places." Dumbledore summarized.

"Why don't we just send the sound of a rooster out through the entire castle? Kill the bloody thing stone dead inside the pipes and then find it?" Harry asked with barely concealed annoyance.

"Though the Rooster's wail is deadly to a basilisk, it must be heard clearly without any barrier. Lest the crowing is not strong enough and the beast will not succumb." Dumbledore replied courtly as he sighed, nothing once again.

"I should head to class, Headmaster. I know I can skip most of the years due to my advanced knowledge, but it will still seem mighty suspicious if I'm away for too long." Harry stated with a low breath.

"Go, join your friends. I'll retreat to my office, without a doubt some more paperwork will be waiting." Dumbledore replied as he followed his young friend out the room.

They split and Harry realized that they were hitting upon lunch as it was. His stomach growled and with a shrug, he changed directions towards the great hall, not minding the missed morning classes. He was joined quickly by Vanessa and, to his slight surprise, Luna. The two were talking as they sat and barely paused to greet Harry before the food appeared.

"Any luck?" Vanessa asked after a few bites.

"Damn thing is elusive, and whenever we think we have it, it slips away through some pipe or another." Harry replied with a sigh.

"Why are you hunting a basilisk, Harry?" Luna asked with her dreamy tone as she gazed determined at her shaking pudding, so she didn't hear the sharp intake of breath from the two older magicals.

"Luna," Harry began in a low tone, "how do you know that?"

"Is it not obvious?" Luna asked with a titled head and confused expression.

"Only to you, Luna, so keep it a secret, okay?" Vanessa asked with the calmest smile she could muster, but her expression told Harry everything.

'_How in the hell did she know?!' _Practically flowed off his fiancé in waves. Harry did not know either, Luna had always been unusually perceptive, but this was almost too much. He wanted to question her further, but the expression of the girl told him that he wouldn't really get anywhere… not for now at least.

A few days past and Harry found himself standing with Dumbledore in a corridor on the sixth floor, their eyes focused on a broken, exposed pipe.

"An access point for the beast." Dumbledore stated.

"It would certainly seem so. What does the tracking say?" Harry replied as he stuck his head inside the pipe and cast a silent Lumos.

"Vestigium bestia." Dumbledore mumbled to himself and watched as a fine thin mist spread out from his wand, a small part of it shaded red to indicate the current path towards his intended target. "It would seem… what!?" Dumbledore cut himself off with a yell as the mist thinned and vanished.

Harry whirled and saw Dumbledore attempting to cast the spell multiple times before giving up, an expression of rage now marring the aged Headmasters face.

"It's gone, the magical signature, gone." He whispered.

"How?" Questioned his young friend.

"I do not know, basilisk are resistant to spells indeed… but that shouldn't extend to tracking spells, especially not an ancient one like this." Dumbledore replied with barely concealed fury.

"I feel like the more we investigate, the deeper my grave becomes." Harry grumbled as he slapped his hand over his eyes.

"We have time, my friend. Though I supposes with Christmas merrily waiting in the distance, it might be best if we were too… step it up, as the muggles say." Dumbledore replied with a knowing grin as they continued down the corridor.

Their tracking eventually found them standing and speaking with some of the paintings near the stairwell leading to the second floor. A few paintings had heard from some other paintings, that had heard from a different painting… that had been told _by a different painting_… that they had seen the basilisk somewhere around the top floors.

"Good grief…" Harry grumbled, "How does anyone make sense of this?"

"You don't, really. Though the paintings can relay information quite simply, most of these are very old and their enhancements are slowly giving out. They can still provide the occasional piece of viable intel, but sadly most of them quite represent a looped parchment." Dumbledore replied with an aged grin.

Harry held a snarky comment on the tongue when his ears picked something up.

"IIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" That something suddenly grew a hell of a lot louder!

There was barely a glance passed between them before they were on the move. The portraits, showing the occasional use, guided them quickly to a corridor on the second floor. Harry felt his heart jump a little, as he saw the crimson hair of Ginny Weasley sprawled over the floor.

"No, no, no, no, no… come on Ginny… Ron might be an ass but I can't let his sister die." Harry rambled as he slid up next to her and checked her pulse.

To Dumbledore it looked like a giant weight dropped from his young friend's shoulders as he sagged back and released a giant breath of relief as he turned to look at him with a great big smile. "She's alive, just passed out." He said and Albus released a breath he had not realized he was holding.

Quickly scanning the area revealed that no one else was around, but surely, that was going to change very soon. Fawkes arrived as his young wizard called him and flamed the three to Madam Pomfrey's tender mercies. Dumbledore quickly departed to inform the Weasley children of their sister's condition. Harry stayed behind and watched over Ginny, hoping that she would remember what she saw when she awoke.

"Hello, Harry Potter." A dreamy voice rang out behind him. He turned to find Luna approaching him with careful steps, as she looked upon Ginny's, now sleeping, form.

"Will she be okay?" Luna asked, her concern for her childhood friend showing.

"She passed out, but Madam Pomfrey will keep her for observation until tomorrow." Harry explained with an assuring smile.

Luna's mouth formed an "o" before smiling. "She's going to be happy that her hero saved her. You know her crush on you haven't gotten any better."

"Hmm, I kind of figured. What about you Luna, what did you come here for?" Harry replied casually as he looked over his youngest friend to see if she was hurt.

"I seem to have over indulged on some of the sweets Vanessa got from her parents." Luna replied with a reddish tint to her cheeks and a sheepish tone.

"Mmm can't keep your hands off those sweets." Harry chided, Luna had always been like that.

"Miss Lovegood, what brings you today?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she came out from her office to find out who was talking in her infirmary.

"I came from some stomach relief potion. Too many sweets." Luna said sweetly.

Madam Pomfrey sighed in mock anger before smiling and asking the young girl to follow her to her office, she should still have a few vials left from her last batch. Harry watched them leave with a grin on his face, Luna would be Luna. He looked over to Ginny when his head suddenly snapped up and he stared straight ahead.

"Hold a moment… _Her crush haven't gotten any better_… she sounded so sure that I knew… but I'm not supposed to." Her turned and stared towards the office, that is the second time that Luna did something a little unexpected.

Then again. It was Luna, she had always been strange, a good strange, but strange none the less. He was looking too much into this, he was getting paranoid. Couldn't Dumbledore get the Weasley kids a little quicker so he could leave?

As if called upon, Dumbledore returned with the four Weasley brothers in tow. Harry rose and made his way around them, ignoring the look he got from Ron who still seemed miffed that he had ended up a Raven and not a lion so they could be "best mates" or whatever. He stopped by Dumbledore and gave one last look towards the group of red heads.

"You'll ask her when she awakes I assume?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore nodded once. "I will, should she prove incapable of remember I will skim the surface of her thoughts."

Harry nodded his agreement and set out towards the Ravenclaw common room. He had a few things to discuss with Vanessa about their training session tonight.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

Halfway through their training session, Fawkes had flamed into the room and landed on Harry's shoulder. It didn't take long for the two to jump into the room provided shower and rinse off, before allowing Fawkes to flame them to Dumbledore's office. They arrived to a grim visage Dumbledore, glaring down at some paperwork on his desk that vanished in emerald flames just as he looked up.

"It is done." Dumbledore muttered darkly. "The last remaining ingredients for the ritual will be here by Christmas day. We cannot afford the secrecy any longer, so I called in some old favors."

"What did Ginny remember, Albus?" Vanessa asked as they took a seat.

"Not much, she saw a giant scaled tail slithering out of the hallway and she screamed and fainted. I took a peek at her memories of the event, whatever the basilisk had been out for; it didn't find it in Ginerva." Dumbledore explained with a relieved smile.

"So over Christmas it happens." Harry said under a breath.

"What will become of the soul piece in your head, Harry?" the old Headmaster inquired.

"You mean after the ritual is finished?" at Dumbledore's nod, Harry's lips fell into a thin line, "it will be weak, weak enough for me to forcefully expel it from my body. Though I will have to be quick about it, for as soon as _I_ learn where the other Horcruxes is, so will the fragment in my head. It might try to escape and rejoin with one of it's brethren."

Dumbledore didn't look all too happy with the idea, mostly because of the potential risk involved. Silently he wondered if Harry hadn't excluded a part that could potentially bring around the younger Wizards death.

"I shall alert you both when we are ready to perform the ritual, until then I advise caution and to remain on guard at all times."

With those final words of the day, Harry and Vanessa departed for the Ravenclaw tower to get some much needed sleep. Through the night though, neither could get much of it. They ended up sitting in the common room at six in the morning, staring out one of the larger windows whilst just enjoying the other's presence.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to go home during Christmas? Leave me and Albus to deal with the basilisk?" he tried with a knowing smile.

"Not a chance. You want to risk your life, that's your choice. I'm making mine, and I'm staying right here with you."

"I figured as much." Harry sat up a little further so he could look at her, "I love you."

"Awww, I love you too." Vanessa then wacked him over the head, hard. "Don't speak like you are going to die, moron." Though she said it, that didn't stop her from holding on to him that little bit tighter than before.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Dumbledore asked as he drew the last few runes in the air with his wand.

"Not entirely sure. Not every day you are about to use an old obscure spell to track down the pieces of a psychotic wizard's soul that is out for your blood." Harry replied dryly as he looked around the ritual room. They were using the Room of Requirement to fill out some of the harder parts to get.

"Young Miss Weaver didn't wish to be here for this?" Dumbledore inquired as the last flourish of his wand lit the final rune.

"She's running interference around the school. Listening in on the rumor mill and the like, hoping to catch something I suppose." Harry replied with a slight shrug.

Dumbledore nodded as he took a final turn around the room, everything was in place and it would seem they were ready. Taking his position in front of Harry, the old Headmaster took a deep breath and began gathering his magic, making it swirl around him as it manifested as a glowing blue aura.

"Ready, Harry?" he asked, his voice echoing with power.

Not daring his voice to hold up, Harry nodded and waited. Dumbledore muttered the spell beneath his breath and pointed his wand towards his young charge. A sickening crimson lightning arced out and latched onto Harry's scar.

"AAAAAH!" Harry screamed as he felt the spell take effect. He felt his mind being sucked from the ritual room and found himself standing completely surrounded by white once again. Off in the distance he saw a small black smudge, the Horcrux no doubt. Reaching up with his hand, he called it too him and as it came into his grasp he crushed it in his hands.

The world drowned in darkness as he felt his consciousness spread out further and further, stretching to parts of the world he didn't even know existed. Slowly the sensation grew smaller and smaller, until all there was left was what he knew to be Europe. A faint white trace of the continent spread out, various blobs of golden light scattered around. The strongest of these golden lights were in Britain, Hogwarts to be exact. Inside some of the golden blobs were small patches of darkness.

'_The Horcruxes!'_ Harry reasoned when he saw the blurred form of one inside the school, _'Myself and the Diary no doubt.'_ However, to his everlasting surprise, there was a darkness to be found elsewhere. France to be exact. _'How did a Horcrux get to France?'_ he wondered privately as the map began receding. _'The Diadem, the Diary and Me. Nagini didn't appear… perhaps it isn't one yet.'_ Harry mused. As the last of the map vanished, Harry finished the list inside his head.

'_The Gaunt Ring, found and ready to be destroyed. The Locket, destroyed by Dumbledore. The Diary, within the school. The Diadem… in France apparently. The Cup, found in Gringotts and cleansed. Me… just took care of that, I hope. Nagini, so far not an entity to be concerned about.'_

Happy with the count, Harry began looking around once more. The white seemed to extend even further now as the darkness had gone completely. This was the part of the spell that he wasn't entirely sure about, the most important part about it begin that getting into the memory was easy enough… getting out, now that was another matter.

…_rry!_

He began walking in one direction, figuring that it was easier to think as he moved. He would need to bring forth quite a bit of focus to make this work.

…_arry!_

Of course there was also the magical aspect to think about, if he flooded his magical core with raw energy, it might be sufficient to wake him up again.

…_Harry!_

Was someone calling him?

…_up Harry!_

That sounded like Vanessa… is she in trouble!?

_Wake up, Harry!_

Harry screamed as he rushed to sit up, not realizing that his surroundings where not the ones he had left behind when he had entered into his mind. This was… his dorm, his bed in all actuality. How had he gotten here, and why does everything hurt?

"Oh gods, Harry!" Vanessa yelled as she jumped unto the bed and engulfed him in a hug.

He winched at the physical contact but managed to bring his arms around her waist. "Hey there, beautiful." He looked and found Dumbledore standing at the end of the bed, a relived look in his eyes. "How long was I out?"

"Four days, Harry. It's the 30th." Dumbledore replied. "We thought we had lost you. After the spell connected with your head, you just went limp. You were barely breathing and your magical core drained at an alarming rate, you've been hovering between life and death since then."

"That's one mean ritual…" Harry grumbled as a way of answer as he fell back down into bed, sighing in content at the soft sheets.

"Indeed. At the very least tell me you didn't go through that for nothing?" Dumbledore inquired with a hopeful voice.

Harry nodded slightly and raised a fist in a sign of victory. "I got it, the one in my head… gone, destroyed. I've found the rest as well, every Horcrux's location." The fist dropped and Harry looked oddly at the ceiling. "One of them is in France…"

"France?" Vanessa interjected. "How the hell did one of them get to France?"

Harry shrugged and sat up again while pushing Vanessa off him so he could sit up. Stretching a little he felt a familiar stiffness that came with being in a coma, he'd been in his fair share after all.

"So, we are going to France?" Vanessa asked.

"Sure." Harry replied with a shrug. "We could try and steal the Mona Lisa again."

Dumbledore sighed deeply and rubbed his old eyes as the two youths began cackling at their own joke. Sadly, to his health's great misfortune, he didn't think they were joking entirely.

"I shall arrange for us to go to France during the summer, I can make a few subtle inquiries about some of the latest acquisitions." Dumbledore suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Harry replied tiredly before looking for his wand. Finding it on the table next to his bed he quickly grabbed it and pointed it at his eyes. "_Visio Restitute_." He mumbled and his emerald eyes glazed over for a second before focusing. "Much better," he said under a breath.

"That is a very advanced charm, Harry." Dumbledore said with no small amount of pride.

"Meh, it beat having surgery done. 24 hours of clear vision is a cheap trade as long as I remember doing it in the mornings." Harry replied with a smile.

"It would seem we have a plan of action." Dumbledore mused after a few quiet moments. "One we have dealt with the basilisk, the three of us shall take a trip to Paris."

Vanessa suddenly twitched and her eyes began sparkling in a way even Dumbledore would envy. Her hungry gazed turned on Harry and suddenly the young man felt an old fear grab at his heart.

"If we are going to Paris…" she started and Harry began dropping back into bed. "Does that mean I can go shopping?" she finished just as Harry landed back into bed and yanked a pillow over his face before groaning loudly.

Dumbledore roared with laughter as he felt his old bones shake. Now _that_ was good for the heart!

* * *

**A/N: I got nothing to say. Carry on.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	23. Chapter 23

The New Year had come and gone without much fanfare. There was not much to celebrate in the castle and the death of the young Hufflepuff, Heidi Macavoy, still clung to everyone's hearts as they mourned for their lost friend. Even Slytherin seemed to understand that now was not the best time to keep up with their usual act, the few that had tried had seen swift retribution from the students and the Weasley twins were even more brutal in the months following Heidi's death.

That had not deterred Harry and Vanessa from working. Once the New Year had come, Dumbledore had been swamped in his office by work. With each New Year came a new set of troubles from his job as Chief Warlock. The old Wizard could honestly say that he was looking forward to the permanent end of Voldemort and thus his long awaited retirement from politics.

Nevertheless, all of this had left the two younger magicals in charge of finding the basilisk. It was Vanessa who came up with their latest, and perhaps best, idea. She had poked around the library more than usual and managed to find out that basilisk have a certain fondness for Acrumentula meat. She had not been nearly as ecstatic when she found out they were giant spiders, but she could manage, or at least that is what she told Harry.

The two were currently sitting in the Ravenclaw tower and finishing off their homework for Charms. Well, they were finishing this _year's_ homework. Harry, through his knowledge, and Vanessa, through sheer skill and talent, managed to convince Filius to give them special homework that would see them freed from future Charms homework until the year was over, he had only agreed after Harry had cast a Patronus in his office. Harry had been extremely embarrassed when it wasn't Prongs that had paraded around the room, it had quite clearly been an adult Vanessa, though more ghostly, that had danced around the room before wrapping her arms protectively around Harry and vanished. That was actually part of why Filius allowed their idea, a Human Patronus form was almost unheard of, unless the caster and the person their form took after was extremely close, and he supposed a soul bond would count.

"So we gather some acrumentula, throw them into the chamber, and then we wait for the basilisk's hunger to overtake all its other senses. If it really has as good a smell as the book says, then it will smell the crawlers and come slithering for the free meal." Vanessa explained the brunt of her idea to Dumbledore as they sat in his office one afternoon and watched him work.

Dumbledore had stopped his paperwork halfway through her little explanation and listened intently. The idea certainly had merit, and he told them so, and they could quite easily get their hands on a few acrumentula. No doubt that the Centaurs had a few they would be willing to trade for a few items of worth.

"Sound plan indeed. When are you thinking we should strike?" Dumbledore inquired as he stabled his fingers and rested his chin against his hands.

"As soon as we can, this isn't getting any easier as the months go by. The very fact that the basilisk hasn't killed anyone else yet is amazing." Harry replied with a bit of worry fighting its way into his tone.

"I agree. Perhaps we should count us lucky that the sewer system that runs under the grounds are so massive that it could quite easily have followed the smell of Acrumentula out under the forest and gotten stuck in trying to break free." Dumbledore mused as he once more looked down at his paperwork and frowned. "I'll set up communication with the Centaurs within the day, if everything goes to plan we should have the bodies of the spiders within three days."

"Alright, Albus. We'll prepare as well as we can, hopefully our luck will hold out for the week." Harry said with a nod of acceptance.

They parted ways as Harry and Vanessa went to acquire some sleep, and Dumbledore began making his way towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, he had an old friend to contact.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

The day had started out so well. The trade with the Centaurs had gone without a hitch two days earlier, the corpses were in the chamber and basic perimeter wards against beast where in place. Now they just needed to wait for them to trigger and the three of them would head down there.

Then everything went to hell in a handbasket.

The wards had triggered and Dumbledore had picked up Harry and Vanessa from class. They had Phoenix flamed into the chamber, only to find the bundle of corpses gone and the stench of fresh human blood filling the place. They had retreated immediately and Dumbledore had demanded a full count of all students from their heads of houses.

Only three of them returned with a full count.

Filius had gone back to the tower to look for the sick students; three fourth years had gotten horrible stomachaches after some potion homework had gone askew in the brewing phase. In addition, young Luna Lovegood had woken up paler than usual and was sweating heavily, Filius had given her a mild calming draught followed by a dreamless sleep potion and then left her to rest.

He had returned wide-eyed and scared. The three fourth years had been in their beds, but Luna was missing. A castle wide search had been initiated, but it did not make it more than ten minutes before Dumbledore was called to a corridor on the first floor, right near the Great Hall.

Harry and Vanessa arrived barely ten seconds behind their Headmaster. The bright crimson words smeared over the wall rang like church bells in Harry's head, sending every alarm he had into high gear. He had seen it all before and remembered this dread all too well.

_HER BODY WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER_

Dumbledore had ordered all heads of houses to return to their common rooms with their students. He had instructed the staff to split up and help protect each house while he went to deal with the beast. Of course, Harry and Vanessa snuck away and the three had flamed directly to the entrance of the chamber.

That is where they were heading now. Sprinting down through the corridor they saw the bright green torches light as they ran, illuminating the obsidian stone walls and adding to the chill on their spines. They breached the main chamber and Harry and Vanessa felt a clump in their throats.

Luna was lying on ground, blood oozing from a small wound on her stomach, and the diary clutched tightly in her left hand.

"And so you arrive!" A voice exclaimed with mock surprise.

Tom Marvolo Riddle stepped from the shadows, slightly transparent but the wand in his hand as real as they came.

Dumbledore felt a familiar sneer enter his features. "Tom, so this is where you first committed such an atrocity? You were barely seventeen." The old Headmaster sounded regretful, but the underlying tone of disappointment wasn't missed.

"I did what I had to do, old man. From the way you talk I must have succeeded." The young Tom deducted as he gazed over the two young companions to his old Headmaster. "I can feel them even now, you know. The rest of my amazing creations." He revealed with a smug grin. "If you hope to stop me here, then you are delusional. My pet shall ensure my victory."

"You mean your basilisk?" Harry growled darkly at the spirit. "Oh we have a way to deal with that overgrown handbag."

One of Tom's eyebrows rose in interest as he studied the young man. Even as a spirit he could feel the power rolling of the young man, clearly he would be even stronger as he grew older. Not as strong as him, of course, but strong enough to pose a threat. The girl however, she didn't seem much. Her core was larger than average, that he could glean from her magic. Else? She seemed remarkably average.

"Children, Dumbledore? I knew you were a manipulating old goat, but that is low even for you." Tom mocked as he studied the wand in his hand a little closer. "Not as good as my own, but it will do the job once she," he gestured to Luna with the wand, "is gone."

The spirit could only smile wickedly as the dark crimson curse soared through the air and flew right through his ethereal form.

"A rather dark curse for someone so young." He remarked evenly as he gazed at the young caster. "Now who would teach such a young girl the gut explosion curse?"

"None of your bloody business!" She hissed back, clearly preparing to cast another curse before Dumbledore stopped her with a look.

"It will do nothing. Until he is fully corporeal, there is nothing we can do." Dumbledore explained with a strained tone, clearly he was trying to rein in his anger.

Harry was seething, oh how he wished to use some of the Necromantic spells he knew and torture this waste of energy of a soul. But that would only paint a target on his back, one too big for them to work around. The sound of slithering reached their ears and the shade of Tom seemed to grin even wider.

"It would seem my beloved pet has found its way home once again." Tom clapped a little, to the three's surprise. "A good plan with the spiders, it would have worked had I not been able to control the young Luna." The shade walked over and looked down at the still girl. "She's strong, I'll give her that. She's held out this long since releasing my pet for the first time. Thanks to her will, I had to let my favorite toy run rampant in the pipes. At least until Professor Flitwick was so kind as to dose her with some Calming and Dreamless sleep draught. That allowed me to talk control once again." The shade explained just as the huge beast came barreling out of the pipe.

Dumbledore was first to act, throwing a massively overpowered Lumos into the air, blinding the basilisk shortly. But the moment was enough. Fawkes shrilled angrily as it dived off his young wizards' shoulder and dove towards the basilisk, its sharp talons poised to strike. There was nothing but the high shriek of the basilisk as its eyes were torn from its head and thrown as far as the phoenix could handle.

"We safe from its gaze, give it everything you got!" Dumbledore commanded as he threw the Reducto curse towards the massive serpent.

"_Solvite!_" Harry roared one the oldest dark curses in history. The jet of lilac arced forward and slammed into the side of the beast, forcing a roar from its throat as its massive form was pushed a few paces. He had been so concerned with the basilisk that he had not seen the block of obsidian rock that have hovered into the path of the killing curse and the ensuing explosion threw him off his feet.

"Damnit, Ace watch what the hell you are doing, or that's where you will be going!" Vanessa roared as she lowered her wand after having banished the piece of rubble into the path of the curse. "And you!" she roared as she turned towards the apparition. _"Inretio!_" she roared and a silvery dome formed around the spirit.

The spirit of Tom laughed loudly. "If you think that will stop me, little witch, you are sadly mistaken!" He roared in defiance, as he raised the wand and threw another killing curse, only for it to fizzle against the silvery dome. "What!?"

Vanessa smirked as her charm had worked. The Inretio Charm was one of the oldest she had found; with a little help from Professor Flitwick, she had been able to perform it. Its very concept was to ensnare someone within a dome from where no magic could exit. Of course, you could simply move out of the dome, but Voldemort apparently had not figured that out yet.

"_**Flamma Flagellum!**_" Dumbledore's voice roared over all others as he swung his wand over his head, a trail of deadly blue fire roaring in its wake. With a snap of his wand, the blue flames whirled around the neck of the great beast and slammed its head into the ground.

"Now! I don't know how long I can hold it!" Dumbledore roared as he grabbed his wand with both hands, pushing as much magic through it as it could possibly handle.

"Vanessa!" Harry yelled as he twirled his wand in his hand once, transforming it into its staff form.

"I'm with you!" Vanessa yelled back as she ran across the room and came to a stop next to Harry, grabbing hold of Thymea alongside Harry.

"_**Solvite!**_" They roared together, bringing forth as much magic as their cores would allow, they pushed it into the staff and watched as the lilac energy sparked off the top before roaring out, the shape of a lilac dragon slamming into the great beast, blasting a hole in its stomach.

The beast gave a great screech and wretched under the blue flames grip. With one final yell and push of magic, Albus Dumbledore pulled his wand backwards in one mighty motion, severing the head of the basilisk, thus ending its wails of pain.

"No!" The spirit roared as it ran from the dome, a killing curse sailing through the air towards Dumbledore.

The old wizard's eyes widened, and just for the barest of moments, a smile grazed his lips as he thought the next great adventure was upon him. He saw the image of his dear sister, a welcoming smile on her face, as she stood ready to guide him along the path they would share. Then a brilliant crimson flame absorbed the image and Fawkes screeched in pain as his body absorbed the emerald curse, and a pile of ashes dropped to the floor.

Too stunned to act, Dumbledore simply watched the ashes of his oldest friend, so dearly hoping that the familiar small face of the phoenix's youngest form would pop out. He sighed in relief and fell to his knees, both from exhaustion and happiness, when a small chirp echoed through the chamber and the familiar gray head popped out of the ashes.

"Damn bird!" Tom roared and lifted his wand, but before he could do anything, the wand snapped out of his hand and flew into Vanessa's grip, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Seems I just disarmed the supposed greatest wizard of all time." She mocked dryly while spinning Luna's wand in her hand.

"Luna!" Harry yelled in panic as he slid to a stop next to the young Ravenclaw. Ripping the book from her grasp he tossed it to the side and lifted her up, holding her head to his chest he spoke frantically. "Come on, Luna. Come on, my little moonbeam. You can't leave me, I can't lose you, I can't lose one of the only people to follow me out of Britain! Who stood with me since I went back there!" he rambled as he rocked her backwards and forwards, tears gathering at his eyes.

"It is too late." The voice of Tom mocked, "She is too weak and soon I shall be whole again." The spirit continued gloating.

Harry's head snapped up, his emerald eyes burning with fury as he grabbed his staff and looked towards the cursed book. Not even realizing what he was doing, Harry roared in parseltongue.

_**$FIENDFYRE!$**_

The orange-black flame spewed from the tip of his wand, burning all in its path as it bathed the Diary in its warm embrace. The spirit of Tom barely had a chance to react before he doubled over and screamed, white lines beginning to appear all over his body.

Harry was still screaming as the flames grew darker and darker, soon they closely resembled living darkness more than a fire. Had it not been for the unnatural orange light bathing the entire chamber in its glow, it could perhaps have been mistaken as such.

When one great screech came from within the flame, they all knew it was done. The Diary destroyed and the memory of Tom Marvolo Riddle gone with it. Harry stopped screaming and the spell died with his voice as he dropped Thymea and resumed cradling Luna in his arms, somehow still hoping she would awaken. He felt Vanessa's arms encircle him from behind and he willed the tears to remain where they were. He so badly wanted to scream out, but knew it would be no use. The last time they had only just made it to save Ginny's life, this time it would seem they weren't as lucky.

"Harry…" Dumbledore's voice broke through his ramblings and his head lifted slowly towards the aged wizard. "Look… there…" the old wizard raised a bony finger and pointed into the middle of the blackened patch that was the Diary.

A small wisp of silvery light rose and danced through the air.

They all watched, wide-eyed and hopeful, as the wispy essence flew towards Luna and entered into her chest, right where the Magical core was located.

They all nearly jumped out of their skin when Luna gave a start and sucked in a massive breath, her eyes flying open and looking everywhere around her as if to ensure she was in fact not dead. When her eyes locked with Harry's, they filled with such warmth that Harry almost cried again.

"A hero… even the second time around… just like you, Harry." She whispered weakly before her eyes dropped closed and her breathing evened out, she was asleep.

Harry didn't even have time to properly register what she had said as he whooped and cheered for his friend being alive. Vanessa was hugging him even tighter as she tried to control the scream of joy that threatened to rip through her. She looked expectantly at Dumbledore who was smiling wider than she had seen him do before.

This was a victory. The best they could have hoped for.

* * *

**A/N: Still nothing to say. Have a nice day.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	24. Chapter 24

**Before the Rebirth**

It was hard to get used to. Waking up without fearing for your life, without nightmares plaguing your mind and without that constant need to look over your shoulder. Harry still could not quite believe what he saw when he woke up in the morning. The bed was nice, much softer than he had been used to; the fact that his room was almost the size of the Gryffindor common room was another thing he needed to get used to. But all in all? It had been four amazing months since he found his aunt and cousin.

Celeste had hounded him ever since they met. She wanted to hear everything about his life form his own mouth, not the things she saw while watching over him. He also learned a lot about Celeste's life, mostly about how it was growing up here, how it was to find out that there was someone out there that was supposed to have been like your brother, only he wasn't here.

Grinning to himself, Harry made his way out of bed and quickly dressed in some of the new clothes Annabeth had gotten for him. They looked nice, perhaps a little too fancy for Harry's taste, but he could get used to it.

Annabeth was sitting and eating breakfast when he arrived. She greeted him with a silent nod as she read her morning paper. Harry smiled in return, he'd learned that Annabeth would be absorbed by the paper until she had read it through, until then he would grab his own breakfast.

He was halfway through his sandwich when Annabeth slammed the newspaper down with a roar of "What?!" so loud that he could have sworn he heard the windows rattle.

"What's wrong, Ann?" Harry asked using the nickname he had learned to use over the months.

She looked up at him, pure fury rolling off her. "That British _carogna_of a Minister, that is what's wrong. Look at this!" she yelled in anger as she tossed the folded paper over the table for him to see.

It was a copy of the WWWN Paper (World Wide Wizarding News). In the section from Britain, a small part of it declared Harry a dangerous terrorist and that he had escaped from punishment in Britain. They were asking for help in capturing "this dangerous and volatile Wizard," so that he could face proper justice.

To be honest?

It barely scratched at Harry. He had gotten so used to the Prophet's abuse that he didn't really care anymore what any paper wrote about him, but from the look on his aunts face, she clearly cared.

"They could have done worse." He commented with a shrug.

"Harry this isn't the Prophet!" Annabeth yelled. "The very fact that this could have gotten into the WWWN without approval is psychotic!" She rose from the table and headed towards the door. She stopped in the doorway and called over her shoulder. "I'll be making some calls, don't disturb me for the next few hours."

Harry nodded in response and returned to his breakfast. Maybe she would get the paper to take it back, or maybe she would talk to someone in the Italian ministry. Shrugging to himself, he grabbed a banana and headed towards his room. Just how much could she really be doing?

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

'_What did I expect, she's a Potter and an Evans…'_ Harry thought tiredly as he stared out over the huge room they were seated in. The room was circular, built much like the colosseum of old. In the spot where the emperor would have sat, there sat five elderly looking wizards. Harry himself was sitting next to Annabeth by a table in the middle of the floor.

His aunt had gone and called an emergency meeting of the ICW to correct what Britain had declared in the paper.

"Annabeth Potter." One of the elderly wizards, a man with a short brown-gray beard, called as he stood. "You have called us all here together. Bring forward your case."

Annabeth rose with a deep breath. "Gathered members of the ICW and honored guests. I have called this meeting to discuss the recent distribution of misinformation among our people."

The five elderly wizards nodded, having been briefed before entering the meeting today. "Continue." The same one as before said.

"I'm sure many of you remember a week ago, Britain released a statement and warning that, Harry James Potter, a dangerous terrorist, was loose in our world. I've come to tell you that this is a lie and demand the statement be retracted." Annabeth announced loudly as she strode in front of the table.

There were a few quiet murmurings from the gathered members. It was known that Britain had been in quite a bit of turmoil the last fifty years. It had come to an end recently with the death of their "Dark Lord Voldemort," but apparently that wasn't the end of it.

"What proof do you have?" Asked one of the five. A women, the youngest of the group, with long silver hair.

"The memories and testimony of Harry James Potter himself, my nephew!" She declared and gestured shortly to Harry sitting at the table.

Again there was murmuring and people began wondering why Britain hadn't intervened yet. Everyone turned and looked upon the British minster. He was looking grim, presumably from all the information coming to light. Harry didn't really care for the man, Kingsley Shacklebolt had always been Dumbledore's man before everyone else's, even after the crummy old bastard had died.

"Harry James Potter, rise." Ordered one of the five, an elderly woman with gray hair.

Harry stood and waited.

"You have been declared a terrorist and a danger by the British Ministry. Explain, in your own words, what led to these events." The woman ordered.

And he did. All of it. From he began in his first year, to his defeat of Voldemort in his seventh. During the tale there was more than one yell of anger or disbelief. Some of the stories that he was telling shocked the audience, they knew things were bad in Britain, but this bad?

When he was finally done with his story he sat back down and waited.

"Is there anyone present today who will confirm what Mr. Potter has said?" Asked the same elderly witch.

"I will!" Yelled a female voice that Harry was very familiar with. He felt himself choke up a little as a girl with a dreamy expression and long shining silver hair stepped forward from the visitors' gallery and held her wand to her throat.

"State your name." Asked the elderly witch.

"Luna Lovegood." Luna replied, using the Sonorous charm to spread her voice to the entire room.

"Continue then." The witch demanded after she had written down the name.

"I can confirm everything Mr. Potter has said past his second year. Everything he said I have either heard or witnessed alongside him. What he said about our Ministry being corrupt is certainly true as well. The Lovegood family has already departed from Britain and cut our ties to the country. We are currently residing in southern Italy where we plan to stay." Luna declared loudly with a knowing smile towards her friend.

Harry was surprised enough that someone from Britain would defend him. That Luna had moved to Italy was a bigger surprise, though a welcome one. He would have to ask Annabeth for a way to contact them.

Unknown to Harry most of the gathered Witches and Wizards were feeling very envious of the Italian Minister whom was grinning up a storm. The Lovegood family was known worldwide as amazing potioneers, it was an absolute coup to have acquired them.

"Anyone else?" The elderly witch asked one more time.

"I will confirm his statements as well!" yelled a male voice. One that Harry knew really well too, it was one of his best friends from Hogwarts.

"Name?"

"Neville Longbottom."

"Continue."

"I've known Harry since we started Hogwarts and everything he has told is true. I still dread to remember some of the things he was forced to endure at the hands of Dumbledore and his loyalists. Much like the Lovegoods, the Longbottoms are soon leaving Britain for good. We have sizable family in the United States and plan to join them soon. But as for the matter here today. Under no circumstance could or should Harry be declared a danger to anyone. He is one of the bravest and most selfless people I have ever had the honor of knowing, and if anyone here still thinks different after his hearing his story… then you are all damn fools."

Everyone was speechless as the young Lord Longbottom took his seat once again. Harry was just stunned that Neville had grown so much since the battle of Hogwarts. Sure, he had really manned up and killed Nagini, but he just stood in front of the entire ICW and had the stones to call them fools. It made Harry swell with pride that his friend had come so far, he only hoped they would meet again.

The meeting continued with Harry's memories being displayed for the entire gathering to see. They were there for almost twelve hours before they had shifted through all the important evidence. By the end of it, Harry wasn't sure if there was any part of his life that the gathered people didn't know about. Though he did feel a bit happy with how angry the rest of the leaders was at Britain, bot for the treatment of him and the way Hogwarts was run.

At the end of it all, one of the five stood up. He was a tall man, probably somewhere in his fifties. A long black beard hung from his chin and his crimson eyes were glaring across the entire hall.

"Well, I think we can all see that Britain's claim that this young man is dangerous is pure dragon dung." He started with a glare towards the British minister. "It is therefore our decision that the statement shall be withdrawn and the current manhunt for Harry James Potter be stopped. Clearly he has deserved some peace, so in addition to all of this, no one is to go near Harry James Potter unless he personally invites you to do so." He seemed to be ready to leave, before stopping and turning one again, glaring towards the British minster. "And we shall be having words, Minister Shacklebolt, about your _punishment_ of young Mr. Potter."

With those words the man left the room, his four coworkers leaving right behind him. It was a flood as everyone tried to leave the room at the same time, which is why Annabeth had them wait in the middle of the room for everyone else to leave. While they were waiting, Harry followed the two that had stood up from him as they made their way down from the visitors gallery and over towards them. As they stood in front of him, he could only smile widely at the two.

"Hey you two, it's been a while."

* * *

**A/N: Carogna means Asshole in Italian, (if I can trust google translate anyway.) Aside from that there isn't much else to say really. Have a nice day.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	25. Chapter 25

**After the Rebirth**

The infirmary of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was always a slightly dreaded area, mostly because of Madam Pomfrey's unrelenting and unwavering stance on caring for her charges, but there was always an air of warmth and safety inside the medic witches domain.

Today it was not so.

Fawkes had flashed them into the infirmary and Dumbledore had left immediately to contact Luna's parents. Harry and Vanessa had stayed by her side since then, not moving an inch since Madam Pomfrey allowed them to remain. Vanessa was fidgeting with her fingers, finding it exceptionally hard to sit still while waiting for Luna to wake up. Despite the assurance of Pomfrey that she was fine, Vanessa just couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't completely out of the woods yet.

The wound in her stomach had healed up nicely, but Pomfrey had warned them that if she moved around too much it might reopen.

"It was too close this time, Harry." Vanessa mumbled into the palm of her hand.

He nodded without looking as he kept his focus on Luna's sleeping form. "You're right, it was way too close. It has to end next year, even before preferably. No more scooting around issues, no more waiting and seeing. We end this as soon as possible," he muttered darkly.

"We destroy the last few Horcruxes, then what?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know. If he is still a wraith then I imagine he dies, his spirit taken to hell. If he has already taken his homunculus body, he might live," Harry replied with a tired sigh.

"And if that happens?"

"Then we have to hunt him down, I'm not waiting for him to complete the ritual to remake his body. There will be ways to track him and we will get it done, then we kill him and deal with the rest of our lives."

Vanessa smiled weakly as she reached over and grabbed his hand. "You sound worried about that."

"I am worried," he clarified, "I think there's more for us to deal with in the future, sure. But after Voldemort… I don't know what to do this time."

"We'll figure it out. Together."

"Yeah… together." He finished with a smile.

Anything else they planned to say stopped when the doors to the infirmary flung open and two people ran inside and towards them. Harry recognized one of them as Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna's father. The woman, he figured, must be Luna's mother. Pandora Lovegood was a lot like the images he had seen of her in their Italian mansion. Long silver hair much like her daughter, in all matter she looked like an older Luna with the glaring exception of the woman's brimming silver eyes, they shone fiercer than Luna's gray had ever done.

"Mr. Potter, I presume?" Xenophilius asked as his wife began checking over their daughter.

Harry nodded. "I am, good to meet you sir." He put his hand forward and shook Xenophilius'.

"Dumbledore informed us that we have you to thank for her rescue." Xenophilius said with a thankful smile.

"I wasn't alone, sir. Both Headmaster Dumbledore and Vanessa was with me in the chamber, we all did our part." Harry rebuffed with a grin.

"And for that we are eternally thankful." Xeno said under his breath as he turned and looked upon his little girl as she slept.

Dumbledore gave a nod towards Harry that was returned. They would discuss further once young Luna was awake and they found out just how much she remembers. With a small gesture, Dumbledore brought Harry to the other side of the room.

"It would seem we are in the clear for now." The aged Headmaster said with a tired tone.

Harry nodded in response and took a glance towards the two parents watching over their girl. "Though now that we have had time to calm down, I'm worried about something Luna said before passing out."

"Hmm?" Dumbledore didn't have to ask.

"She said I was hero even the second time around. I don't know much about Luna's family, but she's always been special. But being able to see through time streams or alternate futures? There has to be a limit somewhere." Harry explained his thoughts without looking away from the family.

"The indication that young Miss Lovegood might remember you is indeed a troubling one. However, that does not mean that she will pose any kind of danger. The Lovegood family has always been special, lots of seer's and truthsayers in their family. Perhaps young Luna is just extraordinarily gifted in the art?" Dumbledore proposed as he wrecked his memories for similar happenings regarding people he knew.

"So we'll observe, just like everything else." Harry stated.

The gasp of Luna and the quiet sobbing of her mother as the two embraced cut off Dumbledore's response. Moving over, they listened in as Pandora asked every possible question she could about Luna's condition, surprisingly she asked about some of the weird creatures that Luna also often spoke about.

"Pandora, let Dumbledore ask his questions for now. We'll bring Luna back home and check her over afterwards." Xenophilius said while placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.

Pandora nodded and moved back to allow Dumbledore to take place on the small stool next to the bed.

"These chairs seem lower and lower each year…" Dumbledore mused as he sat and his old bones creaked in protest. "Now, Miss Lovegood, what do you remember?"

Luna looked a little rustled, but the dreamy look in her eyes let them know that at least she was partially okay. She seemed to gather her thoughts for a few momets before staring Dumbledore squarely in the eyes.

"I remember everything." She stated calmly.

Harry flinched, knowing first hand what possession feels like. The fact that she remembers everything means that she remembers freeing the basilisk and what it might have done while it was free.

"I see…" began Dumbledore, "what can you tell me about how you acquired the diary?"

"I found it when daddy brought me out to buy my school books. I was looking through some of the back shelves when I found Draco getting scolded by his dad." Harry and Dumbledore already looked suspiciously towards one another. "Draco was getting scolded for wanting such a wasteful book as an old diary. When they left I found the book they talked about and looked in it. It was blank but I liked how it looked so I snuck it into the pile of books daddy was buying for me." Luna explained everything with an apologetic look towards her father for, sort of, ratting him out to her mother. Pandora certainly wasn't looking all that favorably towards her husband.

"Then I came to school and began writing in the Diary and it wrote back. It told me a lot of interesting things and before I knew it I began having blackouts and woke up in strange places."

"Why didn't you go to Professor Flitwick with this?" Dumbledore inquired.

"I was worried that he might take away my diary." Luna mumbled weakly. "Then all the weird things began happening and when I saw myself opening the chamber and releasing the large snake, I began fighting back. After that it becomes slightly blurry, the last clear thing I remember is waking up in the chamber and seeing yours and Harry's face before passing out again." She looked around a little, as if trying to find someone, "I'm sorry about the girl that died… I didn't mean to!" she began crying and Pandora was at her side instantly, holding her little angel tightly as she cried.

"I think that is enough, Dumbledore." Xeno said as he moved to join his wife in consoling their daughter.

"I think you are right, Xeno. Take Luna home and care for her, I shall inform Filius that she is home." Dumbledore agreed with a nod as he rose from the chair and gestured for the two other youths in the room to join him.

Once they were outside of the infirmary her turned to them. "The danger has passed for this year I assume, Harry?"

"Yes, sir." Harry replied with a nod. "We should be able to relax for the rest of the year and then begin our plans come summer."

Dumbledore smiled tiredly. "Then I'll expect you both in my office around the end of the year, we'll discuss our plan in greater detail by then."

The two nodded in reply and they split up as Harry and Vanessa headed back towards Ravenclaw tower, fully intending on falling face first into their beds and sleeping until Flitwick came to wake them up.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

It was the day before the leaving feast when Harry and Vanessa found themselves sitting in a pair of comfy chairs in Dumbledore's office. They were watching as the old Headmaster was finishing a conversation on the floo with an old friend of his.

"Ah yes of course, I'll tell Filius you said hello. Give Melissa my best and thank her, once again, for the lovely pie she sent over last month." Dumbledore finished his conversation and the fire died down, allowing him to take a slight breath as he took his seat behind his desk.

"Good Merlin... ole Alexander might mean well, but he talks more than Fudge during a campaign ball!" looking over his two young guests, Dumbledore gave a sheepish laugh, "of course that is not why you two are here. How has the year treated you?"

"It's been good. Ever since we passed, Professor Flitwicks test and freed ourselves from homework for the year... well... I've managed to get really close to an "acceptable" level, as Harry calls it, in my training. I've also done a little more studying in Arithmancy, Professor Vector is really happy with my progress!" Vanessa explained cheerfully. She had enjoyed having another peaceful year of schooling, if they just kept clearing all the troublesome things in the first half of the year... she could get used to it.

"Yes, yes. Professor Vector has been trying to get me to let you into the fourth year Arithmancy class this coming year, instead of the third year class. I suppose this has your interest?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, of course!" Vanessa practically yelled in excitement.

"Perhaps a small exam before the year begins..." Dumbledore mused, "it's not unheard of for a student to take classes a year ahead if they show extraordinary progress. Most notably some of the more prodigious masters did so in the past. Merlin, supposedly, took Enchanting since his first year. Mind you, enchanting wasn't taught until sixth year back in those days."

"If I could take that test, it would be amazing!" Vanessa exclaimed with a wide grin.

"Of course. What about you, Harry?" Dumbledore turned his old eyes upon the younger wizard.

"Oh I've studied a few things here and there. Mostly getting reacquainted with some of the classes. When I wasn't training Vanessa, I didn't really have much free time with all the studying. So a calm year, the second calmest I've ever had I suspect." Harry replied with his own grin.

"Good, good. Now as for our summer plans," Dumbledore began as he pulled out a sheet of paper. "I've arranged for us to go to Paris in the middle of June and we shall be staying there for as long as we need, or until school starts once again. A few friendly contacts have let me know where to start our search and we have room and board prepared for us."

"That's great. I think me and Vanessa might have an extra little benefit that will allow us to move around a bit more freely, too." Harry explained and looked at Vanessa with a knowing grin.

"Oh ho? What could that be?" the aged wizard asked in curiosity.

"I know a spell that allows me to age myself or someone else a few years, that way we could both walk around in our adult forms and mingle with some of the other couples in Paris. This would allow us to travel some places that you most likely couldn't go sir… no offense." Harry replied with a grin that showed he wasn't sorry for the barb against the mans age.

"None taken, I'm quite done with the dating scene thank you very much. But I would like to see this spell in action before deciding if it is something we can use. If it is too easily detected, then there is a good chance it could bring us more trouble than help." Dumbledore said with a benign smile.

"Of course." Harry nodded and pulled out his wand and swung it over Vanessa's head before doing the same above his own. In a few short moments their twelve year old forms had bled away and their twenty-five year old forms sat in their place.

"Oh fuck me…" growled Vanessa as she grabbed her head and sunk a little into her seat.

Dumbledore looked slightly alarmed when Harry mimicked his love and sunk into his seat while clutching his head in obvious pain.

"I take it the very obvious headache's you both are sporting is not meant to happen?" Dumbledore inquired as he began weaving a diagnostic spell over the pair.

"No, it isn't…" Harry growled. "It's never been this bad before, usually I'll just feel a slight pain in my limbs from them growing but this… this is something else."

"Hmmm…" Dumbledore hummed to himself as he looked over the results of his scan. "It would seem you both suffer from some physical exhaustion. I'm detecting a bit of magical interference, but that might be because the spell wasn't designed to be cast upon to people simultaneously. If I may ask, Harry, is the spell draining?"

"Not really." The younger wizard ground out.

"Then I imagine your side effect is a cause of you casting it upon two people at the same time, in the future I suggest doing it one at a time to avoid this again." Dumbledore chided good naturedly. "Aside from that, I'll agree that the spell could be quite useful to us. Detecting it is almost impossible and it would require someone of my own power level or above to do so. I say it would seem we are ready as we can be for now, all that remains are for the two of you two pack your things and then we will see each other at the leaving feast tomorrow."

Vanessa nodded as the spell faded from her and she rose from her seat. Harry did the same but gave a thoughtful look out into thin air, his head running a few thoughts.

'_The spell has never caused me physical backlash of this magnitude, and it has __**never**__ been focused around my head before. I'll have to look into this, but no need to worry these two unnecessarily if it turns out to be nothing.'_ He thought as he followed his lover back to the common room where they proceeded to finish packing the last of their things and got ready for dinner.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

The leaving feast was as beautiful as ever. Dumbledore held his usual speech and once more congratulated all the seventh year students on their work. The traditional walk out of the great hall was followed by loud applause as the teary-eyed seventh years bid goodbye to their home of seven years and waved at all the younger students for the last time as the great doors slowly closed behind them.

Harry and Vanessa enjoyed the rest of the meal and left the next day, both having a few things they needed to prepare before going to Paris with the headmaster.

Harry would square it with the Dursleys'; they already knew about his situation and wouldn't stop him from going after the monster that killed his parents. He suspected that there wouldn't be much of a problem with Vanessa's parents either, they were both remarkably cool with Harry, more so than he remembered, and seemed to like him well enough. They might have to lie a little and say it was a summer study trip to France, but as long as they promised they would be safe and that their Headmaster would be "one of the teachers looking after them," he figured they wouldn't have _that _many objections to the idea.

That is how it came to pass that the three of them now stood in the French Ministry of Magic and waited for their turn on the security check. Part of the ICW he might be, Dumbledore still had to go through security like every other wizard and witch. A small thing Dumbledore privately enjoyed, it ensured that he would always remember he was just another wizard.

Once they were clear they headed off to their hotel and were lodged in, Harry and Vanessa had a room together with a great view. They figured they could have a few days to themselves if they found the Diadem quickly enough, otherwise they would just take whatever chance they had to enjoy the city when they were searching.

The very first morning they met Dumbledore down in the restaurant of the hotel where he was enjoying a bit of breakfast. He greeted them with a smile and handed Harry a newspaper, translated into English, as he sat down. The front page was displaying a fantastic gem that was supposed to be an absolute steal for the magical part of the Louvre to have acquired; after all, it was the gem that had sat in the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw herself!

"Well how about that…"

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, sorry about how late this is. **

**Honesty time; I ran out of steam with this story for quite a while, I still am out of steam, honestly. There's another chapter completed, I'll post that later, but after that I have hit a nasty snag. I feel like I've lost control of what I tried to do here, I'm sure many of you have noticed it too (and some of you have called me out on it, some subtly, and some of you were just asses about it) and I've begun work to rectify it. **

**After the next chapter is posted, if and that is a huge IF, I decide to continue this story, then it will be rail-roading straight through to the end after this. I've got about 2 more major things that will be resolved and then this story is ending. **

**I suppose that is it. I've given clear words of my intentions for this story. Past this point, if you choose to remain and read the rest, the story might accelerate towards the end. From what I've currently planned, the story will end somewhere in the Fourth Year, and that's that I guess.**

**Don't expect too many more Author's notes after this. I sadly think I might have run my course for now.**

**Best of the best to all of you, thanks again to all of you for bearing with my nonsense.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**

**(Those of you that hate my "before the rebirth chapters, rejoice, I'm done with them)**


	26. Chapter 26

"Any idea how this happened, Albus?" Harry finally asked after reading through the rest of the article and finding out that a generous family had donated the Diadem's Gem to the museum and it would be on display for the next few months before returning to its original owners.

"Honestly I'm not quite sure myself. Tom never seemed the type to hide his Horcruxes so far from home, this far away there is no telling what could happen to it, and if something did, or if someone found it, it would take him that much longer to reach it. So there is some other things afoot, thankfully the curator of the museum is a good friend of mine." Dumbledore mused over his breakfast.

"When do you plan on going?" Vanessa asked through a piece of toast.

"I'll establish contact with him today and hopefully set up a meeting for tomorrow. I suggest you two spend the day gathering information in the magical part of Paris and then we meet up here later tonight." Dumbledore suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Harry said with a nod, "I guess we can start out by finding out if the acquisition was legal or not."

Dumbledore's nose scrunched a bit as he stared at the two teens sharing a knowing glance. "And how, pray tell, do you intend to find that out?"

"It might be a few years ago… okay, maybe two decades, but we should still be able to find some of our old contacts and see if they are still in business… or have yet to start business? I don't' know, we'll find someone!" Vanessa replied with a dismissive hand wave.

"Would you be facing danger?" Dumbledore inquired.

"No, not really. All of them are mostly harmless, and none of them is magical. Two are squibs and two others just happened upon the magical world. No real danger from them." Harry added before taking a gulp of his juice.

"Alright," Dumbledore mumbled with uncertainty, "We'll meet back up here tonight around dinner, then we'll compare information and move from there."

"Sounds like a plan," Harry replied.

The rest of breakfast went by in relative silence. As they planned, Dumbledore went his own way soon after they had eaten. He was going to speak with his contact and then do his own investigation in the parts of the city only _he _could go… old he might be, but he still had his ways.

The two younger magicals were standing in their room and looking at one another, an awkward tone hanging in the air.

"You ready?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, think it's going to hurt again?" Vanessa replied with a flinch at the memory.

"I don't know." He said. With a deep breath, Harry weaved the spell on Vanessa first. He watched the change happen and was content when it finished and Vanessa didn't seem to have suffered any undue pain in any form. Though he recognized the tell-tale sign of hurt limbs, much like he felt when he transformed.

"You good?"

"Kinda, arms hurt a bit, otherwise I'm good," she replied weakly and went to sit on the bed.

With a nod, Harry swung his wand one more time, this time with himself as the target. The feeling of his limbs growing hurt as usual, but the small pain in the back of his head returned, though a lot more subtle. Seizing the opportunity he went into his mindscape and watched the well defended castle he used as a defense against legilimens attacks. There was a slight dark haze surrounding the tower where he kept his memories locked away in. It was a bit worrying and told him that someone had fiddled with his memories. The problem would be identifying when and where.

"Harry?" Vanessa's voice broke him out of his musings and he looked at her with a kind smile.

"Sorry about that, got lost on an idea for a moment," he replied as he went to the closet and pulled out the outfit Vanessa had planned for him, "we should be ready to go now. Who do we start with?"

"I think Michael might be our best shot. He has been in the business the longest, and even your aunt knew him so that is a good sign," Vanessa stated as she observed Harry getting dressed and judging the clothes now sitting on his body one last time, "he's supposed to be active down near the Eiffel Tower around this time."

"Any idea on how we are going to explain how we found him?" Looking down, Harry thought the clothes were a little snug in the wand region… then again, Vanessa always had a… _thing_… for tight clothes on men.

"Tell him the truth? He's definitely heard weirder shit from us," and she was appreciating just _how tight_ she had made those pants.

"That he has, but there's a limit to how far we can stretch it," and he was not just talking about their explanation here.

"Tell him we heard about his services through a common friend?" she finally suggested after finishing doing her hair.

With one last pouty glance towards his so comfy jeans, Harry nodded and guided them both out the door.

The streets of Paris were not as familiar as the two had hoped. The year's following Harry's entrance into the mercenary world had not been kind to the city. Some of the streets were not yet destroyed, and some of the ones they knew were simply not there. Trial and error, and no small amount of broken French later, led them to the base of the Eifel Tower.

"He shouldn't be that hard to spot," Harry mused as he took in the sights around him. Paris was still a beautiful city after all.

"There." Vanessa deadpanned and Harry followed her pointed finger.

Michael, even when they knew him, was always a scarily tall fella. Standing a monstrous 7 feet tall, Michael was towering over every other person on the street. Even when he was sitting at a bench, his head was poking out slightly among the crowd. His hair was longer, reaching down to his shoulders, it looked messier than they remembered. His clothes were clearly unwashed and his eyes, dark-blue, that usually held a spark of mischief and bravado, where looking uncharacteristically dead.

They walked over without a care and placed themselves on either side of him as he sat on the bench. Brandishing his wand without a care, Harry tossed up a muggle repelling ward, two silencing charms and a powerful Disillusionment charm.

"Ain't often I get wizarding customers. What can I do ya for?" His voice was rough and low, growl than anything else, a perfect fit for his British origin. He seemed to haven't had much use for it recently.

"Recently the Louvre came into possession of a very valuable gem." Vanessa's tone was perfectly level, betraying nothing about her feelings on the situation.

"Aye," Michael grumbled, "they did indeed. Ya reckon it wasn't all that legal?"

"Was it?" Harry interjected with a bit of steel entering his voice; he never liked Michael's way of talking.

"No," the tall bastard grumbled with a head shake, "Some family originally had the thing, "suddenly" they decided to lend it to the museum." He began cackling a little as he spoke, "bastards probably found out that Andre Delacour shagged a Veela and had two little hellspawn of his own."

Vanessa caught how Harry had twitched at the mention of the Delacour family. He'd never mentioned them before, most likely because he didn't have fond memories of them, or because he didn't wish to remember them.

"Why would Monsieur Delacour's marriage to a Veela be a problem?" she asked, not fully understanding what a Veela was.

Michael apparently caught it as he spoke. "A Veela isn't human, lass. Much they might like to tell you that they are only "half" or "quarter" Veela, is all shit I tell ya. Either yer a full Veela or yer a human. Appoline Delacour is most definitely a Veela. The problem ain't in her being a Veela, the problem lay in her two hellspawn she calls children. A Veela doesn't fully mature until they turn seventeen, until then they be as big a danger to the public as a good ole muggle bomb. Ye piss one off enough and they be transforming into that bird form of theirs and roast ya real good."

"Does the French not look favorably on Veela or something? Since the museum can apparently use it against Monsieur Delacour to acquire the gem." Vanessa interrupted.

"Hah! Ain't nothin to do with that girly. Ya see, a young Veela is a popular pet for some of the nastier wizarding folk. Once they are old enough, they make for excellent sex slaves for their masters. I reckon the owner of the museum threatened dear old Andre with taking his two girls from 'im if he didn't comply and fork over the gem." Michael explained with a sour expression.

"That's…" she seemed at loss for words. "Why didn't he report the owner then?" she asked when she had found her voice.

"She can't," Harry said before Michael could open his mouth, "In France the Veela are considered Magical Beasts and have no rights, much like Werewolfs back in Britain. Most people stay clear of their colonies and just leave them be. Every so often one of them shows up in civilization and marries a human. This leads to issues more often than not, and I imagine Monsieur Delacour still feels those issues to this day."

Michael nodded his head knowingly, "Aye lad, he does. Appoline has done much for Veela relations in France, but Andre isn't much a politician. He's an _Indicible_, I believe the English word for it is "Unspeakable," and such doesn't have much political weight."

"Thanks for the information." Tossing five galleons to the man, Harry rose and Vanessa followed soon after. Neither paid any attention to Michael yelling for them to come back anytime.

"He's… different." Vanessa said once they had gotten a fair bit away.

"He's yet to come into power here in France it seems. But he gave us what we needed." Harry replied with the same sullen expression on his face that he had held since the Delacour name was mentioned.

"Well you're happy about the news."

"Delacour… I've bad memories associated with the name. Their oldest daughter, Fleur, and I fought in a tournament during my fourth year. Though I saved her sister, I never quite shook the feeling she didn't like me much. Honestly the emotion is shared."

"And we are most likely going to have to speak with them."

"Yes. Arguably this is a few years before I met them originally, but I assume those few years can't mean much in the long run. Fleur is likely still very arrogant and guarded due to her Veela nature, Gabrielle will probably still act like a young girl, very excitable about everything. Her parents… well, I never spoke much with either but at best Appoline is an older version of Fleur, whereas Andre seems to be a bit more quiet, likely a side effect of his job."

"A bit apprehensive about going to see them?"

"Of course. I've always been resistant, if not borderline immune, to the Veela allure. It does… something… to their mentality when they encounter someone like me. I know Andre is immune to the Allure, which is why Appoline married him. From what I have learned, it triggers a sort of… mating signal? In their heads when they find someone strong enough to ignore them. Fleur found it interesting in me, but thankfully my age kept her at bay in the beginning. Sadly, like so many others, Veela still react to displays of power. Out flying a dragon certainly counted as that."

"So am I going to have to worry?"

"No, not unless you fall under the allure."

"I can do that?"

"Yeah. The allure, depending on how strong, can affect both sexes. Luckily for you it only has a complete effect if you are a lesbian, otherwise it becomes this… mild compulsion towards the person."

"Good. What about you, will it cause something that you are resistant?"

"It shouldn't. Appoline is married, and Fleur will only see me as a twelve year old. That should guarantee that there won't be any incidents."

"What about the youngest?"

"Gabrielle? She isn't old enough yet to have developed her Allure. Shouldn't be a problem."

"I guess we will see, won't we?"

"I guess."

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

The three had gathered when the sun began falling beyond the horizon. Dumbledore had looked quite pleased with how the day had gone for him, though he had said he would explain once they had eaten.

So that's where they were. Sitting in a restaurant and enjoying their dinner.

"So what did you find, Albus?" Asked Harry when he finally had had enough of sitting in silence.

"I got into contact with my old acquaintance and he agreed to see me today. Sadly he didn't have much about the acquisition of the gem, from what he said, the owner of the magical museum came in one day and handed him the gem. Though he did give me an address on where they were to send any information regarding the potential theft of the item." The elderly wizard slid a piece of paper over the table for the two youths to see.

"Delacour's address, isn't it, Harry?" Vanessa said, tapping the paper twice.

Harry nodded and looked up at Dumbledore's questioning gaze. "We met with our own informant. The owner of the magical part of the museum blackmailed the head of the Delacour family to hand over the gem in the Diadem."

Dumbledore's mouth formed the familiar "ah" sound as he stroked his long white beard in thought. The two younger magicals returned to their dinner as their Headmaster contemplated his next move, obviously this new information had given him things to contemplate.

"I think…" Dumbledore began after a few minutes, "that we ought to pay the Delacours a visit, if nothing else simply to warn them of the potential dark artifact in their possession."

Noticing the sour look on Harry's face, the elderly wizard inquired into what was bothering him and Harry told him everything about his fourth year, once more leaving the aged headmaster with a sense of grief over what his other self had forced upon the young man.

"I shall be a brief visit then. You may even choose not to come with, if it makes it easier for you."

"It's fine, Albus. I need to be there and see for myself what their reaction is."

Nodding silently, the headmaster continued his dinner and the two youths followed suit. The rest of their afternoon continued on with a heavy silence hanging over their heads. Before parting for the night, they agreed to meet up at lunch tomorrow. Dumbledore would have made contact with the Delacours before then.

Where Dumbledore chose to retreat to his room for a comfortable bath and a good book, his two young friends donned their aged forms and headed out into the nightlife. If they were going to see the Delacours then Harry was going to get blindingly drunk tonight, anything to dull the meeting sure to come.

Safe to say, the magical underground in Paris had one hell of a mess on their hands, come the morning.


	27. Chapter 27

The Delacours where one of the oldest families in magical France. There is even evidence tying them back to the Iron Age, putting them squarely in the center of the foundation of France. Their home certainly matched their history. Harry never went here when he knew the Delacours, but he had heard stories about it from some of his friends.

It didn't do it justice.

The home was beautiful beyond description, the mansion stretched further than was probably needed but from the way the construction was visible, this place probably used to house a lot more people than just a family of four.

It was in front of this mansion that the three British Magicals now found themselves. Dumbledore had arranged a meeting with the Delacours after the conversation the three of them had at dinner three days ago. From what Dumbledore had told them, the Delacours weren't all that happy to be allowing someone into their home, but Dumbledore's reputation and his insistence that it was crucial to the safety of his family was all that Andre Delacour needed to allow them to come.

Dumbledore racked his knuckles against the ancient looking door, a resonating echo bounced in the air around them as the sound reached through the entire home. It didn't take long for a slightly elderly woman with graying hair opened the door for them and guided them inside. She took them to a sitting room containing two sofa's facing each other and a couple of chairs in the corners, aside from that there was nothing in the room.

Not the most welcoming area in the house. Then again, they weren't really that welcome, where they?

Sitting down was all they could do as they waited for the arrival of their host. They weren't offered any form of refreshment and a slight sense of worry settled upon all three of them. This could turn out to be a bit more difficult to explain than they originally thought.

"Dumbledore," an almost fluently British accent rang through the room.

"Ah, Mr. Delacour," Dumbledore bowed a little to their host, and his two companions followed suit as not to insult.

"Skip the pleasantries, Dumbledore. You claim concern over my family's safety and offer me no details other than it is crucial that we meet in person to discuss it. I would very much like to know why this instant or you three will find yourself well on your way again." Andre's voice was harsh and demanding, leaving no room for debate. He wanted these Englishmen to say their piece and then be on their way.

"Very well," Dumbledore conceded as he took a seat in the sofa, "first, I must ask if it is true that you are in possession of Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem?"

Andre didn't look to happy at the question, but nodded sharply a moment later. "Indeed. My family has always had it," his looks darkened slightly, "or at least we thought we did. A few years ago a stranger came to us and told us that the one we had in our possession was a fake and that he was here to present us with the real article." At the disbelief in his guests eyes he took his own seat and sighed, "of course I didn't believe him at first and conducted my own investigation. It turned out he had been right and that we had been in possession of a fake. He never said why he wanted us to have the item, and to be honest at the time I didn't care much, I just wanted to have the true heirloom back in my family's possession." He gave a withering look towards Dumbledore, "I can highly assume that since you asked about the item, that it is the reason you think my family in danger?"

"We have recently learned that Lord Voldemort made Horcruxes," Andre inhaled sharply at the name, "and we tracked one of them here, as it turns out the Gem that used to sit in the Diadem was emanating a weak form of the dark magic that young Harry here tracked for us. Since the Gem itself wasn't the real Horcrux, we realized that the frame itself must have been the Horcrux. Being and Unspeakable, you know the danger these dark artifacts possess."

Andre swore in French before summoning and a house elf and ordering it to bring him the Diadem in a locked box, and under no circumstances was the elf to touch it with its bare hands.

"If what you are saying is right, I must assume you have a way to deal with it?" Andre questioned.

"Indeed we do. I assume you would like the item to remain intact?" at the nod of Andre, Dumbledore continued with a slightly more jovial tone, "then I can happily inform you that the French branch of Gringotts should be able to purify the item for you. For a fee, of course."

Andre didn't look like it helped him relax. In fact it seemed to annoy him even further. Surely if the goblins were the only ones who could do it, then it truly was a horrifying process.

The house elf propped back into the room, a large obsidian box in its gloved hands. It was placed upon the table and then the elf popped away. Andre withdrew his wand from his sleeve and began rapidly casting spells at the box, making it glow all sorts of different colors.

The three guests sat and watched in slight awe at the sheer number of spells that the French wizard in front of them was performing. A normal Wizard would have been dead on his feet when the spell casting was done, and yet Andre barely looked fazed as he inspected the results of his various scans. His face growing grim as he read through them, not liking what he found.

"I'm not happy about this, Dumbledore," Andre said with a frown, "I would like to know how it is even possible that such a thing came about."

"I'm afraid that one of the teachers at Hogwarts led a young Lord Voldemort to the Horcruxes and what they would do. From there it would seem that a young Lord Voldemort, going by Tom Riddle at the time, went about and collected many ancient artifacts. We have collected four others just like it."

"_Mon dieu, quatre de ces choses immondes?_" at the perplexed expressions on his guest faces, Andre apologized, "I'm sorry, but four of those foul creations? Five with this one? What else did that monster do this too?"

"The Cup of Helga Hufflepuff, the Locket of Salazar Slytherin, his old Diary and the ring of his father's family, the Gaunts." Dumbledore supplied.

"_Mon dieu,_ he really had a problem with the Founders. You say these others are destroyed?"

"Not destroyed. The Cup has been purified and the Locket, Diary and Ring have all been destroyed. This, we suspect, is the last one that he created before his demise at the hands of young Harry here. If we can purify this last object, then perhaps we will have dealt with Voldemort for good, lest he has already found a way to regain his body." Though Dumbledore doubted that Voldemort had managed to do so just yet, after all he would need some of the blood from Harry or someone else that Voldemort considered an enemy. Voldemort's vanity would ensure that it had to be Harry, he would allow nothing less.

Andre looked upon his guests, trying to catch any form of lie or ill will among them. The worst he found was the eyes of the younger wizard. Young Mr. Potter was staring at him with a gaze he knew really well from his work. It was the eyes that told him that no matter what happened here today, the frame of the diadem would be in this young wizards hands. Should that mean harm to him or his, then so be it.

They were eyes that worried Andre greatly, because he hadn't seen such sharpness in many years.

"You say that Gringotts can purify them diadem of the horcrux, after that I assume you will let it remain with my family?" he asked, glancing away from Harry momentarily.

Not daring to risk his usual grandfatherly visage, Dumbledore nodded sharply before speaking, "Indeed. Once the item his been purified and we are sure it is no longer a horcrux, then it may remain with you. We will make no attempt to remove it from you or your family, now or in the future."

Andre didn't look entirely convinced, he knew Dumbledore well. Well enough to know that anything the old wizards aid had to be taken with a grain of salt before anything else. However, there was something different this time. There wasn't any attempts at subtle manipulation or twisting of words. The concern for the item, and Andre suspected, the two young people beside him, where visible as day. It was what made him trust Dumbledore this time.

"Very well, Dumbledore. I'll go to Gringotts with the item and get it purified," Andre stated after a while.

There was visible relief on the three British magicals faces, another sign of their sincerity, Andre thought.

"Perhaps you would allow us to accompany you to the bank? It would ensure that we could return to Britain much sooner than we had originally anticipated," Dumbledore inquired as they all rose to head for the exit.

"I don't see the harm, just make sure not to draw too much attention. I don't wish for more people to know about this than necessary. It's enough that you are here, in my home, that alone will send the media into a frenzy about what the possible reason could be." Andre looked towards Harry with an amused smile, "They might even think you are here to negotiate a marriage contract for young Harry here."

Dumbledore allowed himself the chuckle and looked towards his two companions. Harry didn't look all that happy with the prospect, nor the joke for that matter. Vanessa, however, looked like she wasn't going to worry about it at all.

"I'm sorry, sir. He is already engaged. To me." She deadpanned with a stare that dared the older French wizard to challenge her on the subject.

Andre lifted an eyebrow in wonder, "I see? Then I suppose a congratulation is in order, is it not?"

"Thank you," Vanessa said with a grin.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

The French branch of Gringotts certainly held more than a few similarities to its British counterpart. The same poem was written across the walls as you entered the bank, though it was written if French for obvious reasons.

"Once we enter, Translation Charms will be applied to you by the wards, this will let you understand the goblins. Unless of course you speak fluent French, in which case you can disable the charm at your leisure," Andre informed them before pushing upon the massive doors.

Dumbledore followed Andre inside, and not a second later did he wish that he had waited until his two young companions had entered before going himself.

Harry and Vanessa had barely set food inside the bank before the sound of a dragon roaring began echoing through the main floor. The door's slammed behind them and guards began funneling out of huge stone doors, armored to the teeth, some quite literally having sharpened metal teeth. Before anyone could really think up a reaction, ten goblin guards surrounded Harry and Vanessa, each pointing wicked looking speaks in their direction.

Harry especially didn't like the reverse hooks sitting at the sides of the spearhead, that looked like it would make rather short work of any of his limbs. 25 year old body or not. Vanessa was concerned with a different matter, namely the exact reason why they triggered an alarm. They were not transformed, so it wasn't that, and from what she knew they hadn't exactly been on the outs with the goblins. Hell, she had a lucrative deal written up with the British branch, so what the hell was going on.

A goblin, larger than any of the four magicals had ever seen, limped out of a back room. He was wearing a small coal colored suit that stood in stark contrast to his almost bleach white skin, squinted red eyes were drilling holes into the two youngest heads.

"Spies, how very bold of you to think that you could simply walk through our wards without getting caught," the goblin stated with a sneer as he passed through some of the guards.

"Spies?!" Vanessa retorted angrily, "who the ruddy hell would we be spying for?"

The goblin sneered, revealing just how many teeth he was missing, "you both reek of dark elven magic, you dare tell us that you aren't working for them?"

Vanessa's head snapped to look at Harry, or more specficially, towards his wrist that held Thymea in its wand form in a holster. Harry caught her gaze and followed her eyes, realizing what she was thinking.

Gathering his thoughts, Harry took a massive breath and hoped for the best.

"I'm Harry James Potter, Herald of the Goddess and servant of the Dark Queen Amorpha. I carry the emblem of the royal house, Thymea, Heart of the Forest," withdrawing the wand from its holster, he spun it, transformed it to its staff form, and slammed it into the ground, sending a shockwave through the room and silencing the muttering goblins, "If any of you here know of the Dawn War, you will know this weapon!"

Everyone was holding their breath and waiting for the goblins to react. The relation between the goblins and dark elves were known worldly to be bordering on constant war. The British goblins had made some deals with the dark elves after the wars, and the rest of the goblin nations looked upon them with disdain for it. Of course, that did not mean that they did not recognize a good deal when they saw it, begrudging respect and all that.

"Then what, Herald…" the lead goblin seemed to look for the words, "are you seeking here in our bank?" he finally seemed to decide on.

"I've come in company of Lord Delacour to make a business transaction with Gringotts; would you deny me this, master goblin?" Harry growled, long since abandoning proper tact and tone.

The goblin visibly straightened himself before replying, "Of course not, Lord Herald, what would this business proposition encompass?"

"This is best not discussed around prying ears," Harry replied with a furious glare at the wizards and witches that were standing by the various stalls and watching in wide eyed curiosity.

"Hmm, quite," the goblin agreed with a sneer towards the same wizards and witches, "if you will follow me, Lord Delacour and Lord Herald, we shall discuss this in my office."

"Thank you, master goblin." Harry replied with a nod and then gestured for Vanessa to follow him.

Dumbledore walked next to Andre and tried his best to answer the frantic French wizards questions about how a human was the Herald of one of the Big Three and how the hell he was wielding the weapon of a royal house. The aged wizard did peer back and look upon his two young companions that seemed to be in their own conversation.

"Okay, how did you know that would work?" Harry finally asked once he figured they were long enough away from the three in front of them.

"I didn't, I actually wanted to explain the Dark Elven magic by pointing out you were using a Dark Elven staff, and then just hope they bought it. If they didn't, then I would mention our visit to the Dark Queen's castle and hope that would win them over," she replied with a shrug and a grin, "but your explanation also worked."

"Only you, Vanessa, only you," Harry mumbled with a grin.

The rest of the walk to their guide's office was done in silence. Dumbledore was watching the walls as they went along, enjoying the artwork that was engraved into the ancient stone walls. Not that many people knew that he used to be quite a history buff when he was younger. Of course there is no need to let his students know that he, _the great_ (ahem, sarcasm) Albus Dumbledore, skipped History of Magic to study the subject in the library instead.

Stepping through some beautifully carved stone doors, the group of four found themselves in a Spartan looking office, very much mirroring the ones in Gringotts Britain. All there was in the room was a long row of filing cabinets, a single desk and four chairs that appeared as they each walked through the door to the room.

"Sit," grumbled the goblin as he took his own seat and glared at them.

Once everyone was seated, the goblin cleared his throat, "I'm Cuttooth, manager of Gringotts French branch," his beady eyes turned onto Harry, "Now what, Lord Herald, is your business with Gringotts this day?"

"Well met, Cuttooth," Harry began with a formal recognition, "I'm here today to right a wrong. Lord Delacour is in the possession of an item that has been tainted, and we seek Gringotts expertise in purging the item of this foul filth so that the family can enjoy their heirloom in piece," Harry finished his speech with a gesture towards Andre, whom pulled out a shrunken box and placed it upon the desk.

Cuttooth brandished a dagger and swung it over the box, growing it back up to its usual size. Clawed fingers traced along the lock and sprang it open, with a careful motion, the lid was lifted until the item became visible to Cuttooth's greedy eyes.

"Mmm… I can smell what you mean, Lord Herald, and Gringotts will happily eradicate such a foul piece of magic," Cuttooth stated as he closed and locked the box once again.

"For a fee, of course," Andre interjected with a knowing smile, having dealt with Cuttooth in the past.

"Yes of course, Lord Delacour. For a long-standing client such as the Delacour's I am sure we can work up a favorable cost. You must understand that Gringotts wishes to ensure that we aren't held accountable if the item in question is destroyed during the purification process. It is, after all, an ancient artifact," Cuttooth explained with a small gesture towards the wooden box.

With another pass of the dagger, Cuttooth summoned a piece of parchment that he looked over for a moment before handing it to Andre. The French wizard spent a good while looking over the contract, as he realized it was, that stated that the agreed upon a mount would be taken from his vault and the specified item would be purified by Gringotts goblins, though they wouldn't take responsibility if the item couldn't handle the process of purification.

Pulling a self-inking quill from his pocket, Andre signed the document and watched as it flashed golden for a moment before vanishing. Cuttooth nodded his head in acceptance and dropped off his chair with a grin, grabbed the box and began heading for the door.

"You may observe the process, Lord Delacour. If you will follow me," Cuttooth stated just as he vanished through the door, Andre following close behind him.

The three British wizards that were left behind sat in their seats, stared at the slightly ajar door, and wondered just what was going to happen now.

"Did… did we just get dismissed?" Vanessa mumbled with wide eyes.

"It would seem, Miss Weaver, that we did," Dumbledore agreed with a nod.

They all left the room with Harry laughing his ass into pieces, constantly rambling about something about Dark Elven brothels and goblin banning?


	28. Chapter 28

The Hogwarts express barreled along the tracks, carrying many excited students towards their second home in Scotland. Chatter could be head all along the magnificent machine as the students, young and old alike, discussed their summers and what they were looking forward to in the coming year.

In one particular cabin, two people sat in silence, as each was busy reading their respective forms of literature. One of them, a young woman, was reading a novel with a passive expression on her face. The other, a young man, was flipping open the newspaper that he had just bought from the trolley.

"Vanessa," the young man began as he peered over the top of the paper, "I'm not a forgetful person, am I?"

The young woman looked op from her own novel, face expressionless as before, "Not really, Harry. You forgot our anniversary once, but you were also in a coma at the time. You tend to forget where you put your keys, but everyone does that. Why?" the young woman, Vanessa asked in return.

The young man, Harry, flipped over the newspaper to reveal the image of an older gentleman that was looking quite ragged, his hair was a mess and he was yelling quite profusely in the magically moving image. The handcuffs on his wrists indicated that he was in the process of being incarcerated.

"Ah… your godfather I take it?" she asked with a barely visible smirk.

"Hmm… do you think he will mind that I forgot about him?" Harry replied with an equal smirk.

"No, but Dumbledore might be a little miffed that we forgot in all the chaos," with a shrug the girl raised her book again and resumed her reading, "Of course you will be rectifying your mistake as soon as we arrive, won't you?"

Harry nodded as he too resumed reading his material with the words, "Obviously. Do you think Weasley will mind his rat vanishing?"

"Transfigure a rock or something, make him think that nasty little critter finally died," Vanessa replied with a bored tone.

"Right, good idea," Harry stated with a strong nod before they both fell silent once again, not to speak another word until they arrived at Hogsmeade station and departed the train.

It very much looked like Harry and Vanessa would be getting an entire cart to themselves, but right at the last moment the door opened and a crop of familiar platinum blonde hair came into view. Luna Lovegood climbed into the cart and took a seat next to Vanessa, giving the older girl a brilliant smile.

"Luna, had a good summer?" Vanessa asked with her own smile.

"Yeah, mummy and daddy took me on a trip around the world, they thought it would help after… you know," the young blonde replied with a sullen expression at the memory.

"It wasn't your fault, Luna," Harry stated from across the two girls without looking up from his book, "The beast has been dealt with and the year is going to be quiet, hopefully."

"Haven't you seen the paper, Harry?" Luna asked curiously, only to flush a little as Harry thumbed the one lying right next to him, "So you know that Sirius Black escaped, he'll come for you."

"I highly doubt it, Luna. Even if he wanted to come after me, he only escaped a week ago. He will need time to regroup and regain some strength, I imagine that twelve years in Azkaban will take its toll on you," Harry replied calmly while continuing his reading

"Vanessa, say something to him!" Luna yelled at her older friend.

"He's right, Luna. Don't worry about it, even if he did show up, then we have Dumbledore to stop him. And it is not like Harry isn't capable of taking care of himself either, you saw what he did to the basilisk," Vanessa tried to calm her young friend by petting the small blonde's hair.

"But you were helping, and what if Dumbledore isn't around?" Luna questioned, her hand snapping upwards and grabbing onto Vanessa's when she tried to remove her hand, "I didn't say stop."

"If it becomes a problem, I can promise you that we will go straight to a teacher," the older witch said with a calming smile.

"No you won't/No we won't," Luna and Harry said together, both glanced at each other before grinning widely.

"Harry, stop corrupting her," Vanessa admonished.

"I haven't done anything, she was like this when I got to her," Harry replied with a raised hand.

"He's right, he just made it worse," the small blonde supplied.

"Hey!"

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

The Great Hall was buzzing as the new first years had just finished being sorted and everyone was now enjoying the delicious food. Harry was being quiet for most of the dinner, preferring his own thoughts for the duration of the meal.

Capturing Pettigrew would make great headway into finally setting everything else into place. They could prove that Sirius wasn't the one that betrayed his parents, and they could finally start healing the older wizard of the damage that Azkaban undoubtedly did to him. He was contemplating how much power he needed to transfigure a stone into a dead rat for long enough so Weasley would find it, grieve over it, and then finally bury the damn thing.

'_Best pour enough power into it to make it last a week,' _Harry quietly agreed with himself as he looked up towards the teachers table and shared a look and nod with Dumbledore.

Giving Vanessa a quick hand sign and getting a nod in return, he returned to his dinner and kept his sights on the new first years. Not anyone of immediate note, but some of them might be trouble later on, at least if they don't put a stopper to it before it gets that far with some of them.

The rest of dinner went by quietly. Harry and Vanessa headed straight for Dumbledore's office once they had informed Professor Sprout. The password for the day, liquorish pipes, was spoken and the gargoyle moved aside as usual. A polite knock on the door, quickly followed by an invitation to enter, saw the two young magicals sitting in their usual comfortable chairs and looking at their Headmaster.

"Before you say anything, Albus," Harry started with a raised hand, "I realize that we forgot about Sirius in all the chaos, I fully intent to rectify that mistake as soon as possible. I just need a way into the Gryffindor common room, I don't think the Fat Lady will appreciate that I know the password for the Gryffindor common room."

Albus stared at his two young friends and get a chuckle, "I seem to be worrying needlessly these days. I'm happy that you remembered Sirius, and with the Horcruxes dealt with, we only have to wait and see if we can find any trace of Voldemort, if not… well, I'd say we have some calm lives ahead of us."

"Peaceful? I've forgotten the word," Harry deadpanned.

"Well then I quite think you shall be reacquainted with the word soon enough. As for your trouble getting into the Gryffindor Common Room, may I suggest that I go in your stead? I shall simply say to dear Minerva that I received an anonymous tip that there might be some less than savory items among the students belongings. That should allow me to get to Peter without arousing suspicion."

"That would probably be best," Vanessa agreed with a nod, "It would fit just perfectly that Harry got busted for breaking into the common room and then have to make up some excuse."

"I'm not _that_ bad…" Harry grumbled.

"Harry, sweetie, yes you are." Vanessa deadpanned.

"But…"

"Portugal."

"Oh come on that was…"

"Indonesia."

"I'll give you that one, but…"

"_Denmark_."

"Low blow… but I get your point."

Albus had watched the little byplay and privately wondered what could have transpired in those three locations for them to be applicable to this situation. However, the last one did intrigue him a little.

"You went to Denmark in the past?" The aged headmaster asked.

Vanessa turned her head and gave a slow nod, ignoring the fact that Harry suddenly looked a little pale.

"Yeah, we had a contract there. Not anyone magical. Why do you ask?"

Dumbledore stroked his beard in amusement, "I simply wondered if you had run across the Danish magical community. They have the most interesting way of hiding themselves, though I'm not sure if I can agree with their… habits."

Harry and Vanessa looked at each other for a moment before turning towards their headmaster and asking together, "Christiania?"

"Yes, yes… interesting cover story, wouldn't you agree?"

"Albus… I think you misunderstood something," Vanessa said with a humorless chuckle.

The next hour went by with a rather uncomfortable description from both youths as they explained that the small area in the Danish Capital wasn't actually a wizarding community. It seemed to have completely passed over the aged Dumbledore's head that when they referred to him as a Wizard… it might not have been entirely based on his attire alone.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

It did indeed not take long for the Hogwarts rumor mill to spin back into gear. Barely a week had passed since Harry and Vanessa spoke with Dumbledore about Pettigrew before the Headmaster acted. In the cover of night he had passed by the painting, the fat lady easily stepping aside, and found his way to the third year boys dorms. He spied the rat in question, sleeping soundly on Ronald Weasley's belly. A silent stunner flew through the room and the rat went completely still.

With a nod of satisfaction, the aged Headmaster conjured a rock and transfigured it to look like the transformed Pettigrew. The youngest Weasley brother would wake up tomorrow and think his pet ret to simply have died of age. Rat Pettigrew was placed inside a small box, charmed to contain him in his animagus form.

So it came to pass, under the dead of night, that Albus Dumbledore flooed Amelia Bones and asked her to step through, citing that he finally had the proof he had been searching for, for all these years. Amelia hadn't been happy to be woken in the middle of the night, especially when she had barely gotten home and fallen asleep from her office. She had woken up as soon as the transformed Pettigrew was placed in front of her and with a simple spell was reverted back to his repulsive human self.

On reaction, the head of the DMLE stunned the man and waited for a few seconds before turning towards the old Headmaster with a demanding expression.

"Albus, explain," was the simple demand as she began binding the unconscious Pettigrew.

"It would seem that Peter has been hiding as the Weasley's pet rat, Scabbers, for the better part of the dacade, my dear Amelia. However it would seem he became sloppy these last few years, one of the paintings caught him sneaking into the prefects bath on the fifth floor. Once I had been alerted, I found him using a location spell for animaguses," Dumbledore explained in a calm tone as he collected two glasses from the cabinet and poured, now slightly pale, Amelia a generous fill of whiskey.

"Cheers," Albus intoned as he downed his own in a single gulp.

"Cheers…" Amelia mumbled weakly as she took the first of many sips from her glass. She stood in silence for a while, staring at the unconscious Pettigrew.

Albus had a hard time hiding the amusement from his face when he saw Amelia's own light up in understanding. "If Pettigrew is here… merlin…"

"It would seem, Amelia, that we wouldn't be remiss to contact dear Sirius. I do think a new trial will have to be arranged for our dear Mr. Black," Dumbledore said with a gentle smile.

"I'll see to it in the morning, I trust you can contact Black?"

"I shall pull some strings, with a little luck he has returned to his old home."

"Floo as soon as you have him, the sooner we can get this over with, the better."

"I shall do so, Amelia. Until then."

Amelia vanished into the Floo with a bound and unconscious Pettigrew floating in front of her. Dumbledore kept his gaze firmly at the fireplace until he was sure the fire had completely extinguished. With a rapid swish and flick of his wand, paper, ink and quill found its way to his desk and moments later a letter was written and prepared to be sent. Fawkes flamed away, intent on carrying the letter to the recipient. Now all Dumbledore could do was wait for Sirius to get the letter.

It was a tough few days following the letter. Harry and Vanessa where more on edge than usual, and Dumbledore's constant reassurance that everything was well in hand didn't calm them. Remus had tried to approach Harry a few times, but the young wizard had not been in the mood to listen to the Werewolf. There was a distrust there that Dumbledore didn't understand, but he didn't wish to push his young friend. If Harry distrusted Remus, then surely there was a reason. Finally Dumbledore felt someone cross the wards, a very familiar magical aura. Within moments a shaggy black dog was flamed into his office courtesy of Fawkes.

"Sirius, it's good to see you again, I hope you have been well," Dumbledore said as soon as the transformed Sirius found his footing.

The shaggy dog slowly transformed into the visage of Sirius Black, wearing a large smile and a hopeful glint in his eye.

"It has been a while, Albus. So you have him, you caught the rat?" Sirius questioned rapidly.

A smiling Dumbledore nodded, "Indeed we do. He's with Amelia right now, locked up in a ministry holding cell. Once you meet with her, we can finally get to clearing your name."

"Bugger my name, as long as that rat pays for what he did!" Sirius growled as his eyes seemed to haze over for a moment, when they regained focus the rage was gone and worry had taken its place, "How's Harry? How's my godson?"

Dumbledore smile a little wider as he gestured to the door behind him, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Sirius turned around just as the door opened. He barely registered the unruly mob of black hair and roaring emerald eyes before he was tackled to the ground, a scream of "Sirius!" following close by. The old Marauder could do nothing but laugh as he held his godson for the first time in twelve years.

"Merlin, look at you, Prongslet. You look just like James… except your eyes, those are defin…"

"My mothers, I know," the young wizard grinned at his godfather as they both stood up.

"How have you been, Harry?" Sirius asked with a worried look as he drunk in the appearance of his young godson.

"It's been… good. I live with my aunt and uncle and trying to stay out of trouble," Harry explained with a smile.

"Petunia… that's good," Sirius eyes softened as he shoulders fell a little. Looking up, he caught sight of the young girl standing in the door with a small on her face and a knowing glint in her eye. "My, my, my. Who's this pretty young lass? Have you really grown so much Prongslet?"

Harry just grinned in reply as he walked over and grabbed Vanessa's head and guided her over in front of Sirius. "Sirius, this is Vanessa, my fiancé."

Sirius chocked on air as the words registered and his eyes bulged, "Your _what?_" he barked between coughs, "Blimy pup, you work faster than your old man did."

"Hello sir, it's good to finally meet the infamous Sirius Black." Vanessa greeted with a short bow followed by a hand shake.

"The pleasure's all mine, Lady Vanessa. How's my godson been treating you?" The old Marauder was grinning up a storm.

"He's a work in progress," she replied with a shrug, prompting a roar of laughter from the Marauder.

"Oh pup, you are going to have your hands full with this one!" Sirius yelled jovially.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Harry replied with a glance towards Vanessa.

A small cough brought their attention towards the fourth person in the room. Dumbledore was smiling broader and truer than any of the three magicals had seen before.

"It's of course touching to witness such a reunion, but may I suggest we call Amelia and get the ball rolling, so to speak?" the aged Headmaster proposed with a wave towards the Floo.

"Of course, Albus." Sirius replied with a nod, "Wouldn't want to leave the lovely Amelia waiting."

"Down boy," Harry muttered as he elbowed his godfather.

With a quick pinch of Floo powder, Dumbledore had Amelia on the other end and was informing her that Sirius was in his office, ready to deliver his statement as well as go with her to the Wizengamot to help prove his innocence. A few minutes later, Amelia Bones stepped through the fireplace and only gave herself a moment to orient herself after the slightly shaky floo ride. Sirius was smiling broadly when he saw her, they hadn't seen each other since a few days before that night that sent him to Azkaban.

When Amelia found the eyes of Sirius, it didn't take her more than five steps to close the distance between them. Sirius was still grinning like the moron she knew he was, he had probably also seen the slap coming which was why he was still smiling after she had hit him. Though the kiss she pulled him into afterwards… that was a surprise.

* * *

**A/N: No idea how old Amelia Bones actually is, so for this story she's about the same age as Sirius and the Marauders, give or take a year or two.**


	29. Chapter 29

"So… you and Madam Bones?"

Harry and Sirius were sitting together inside Amelia Bones' office in the Ministry. Everyone had gone together to begin the process of getting a trail for Sirius so they could finally clear his name. Amelia was gone to speak with the Minister and a few other department heads, Dumbledore and Vanessa went down to speak with the Department of Magical Education regarding Vanessa's advanced classes. All this left the two wizards alone in the office, silently staring at one another until Harry had decided to speak.

"It was a long time ago, pup. I'd honestly expected her to have moved on at this point, I never would have guessed that she would wait for me."

"So… it's been a thing since the Hogwarts days?"

"Nah," Sirius shook his head, "It started just around the time Lily got pregnant with you. Amelia was a part of your mothers circle of friends, and then one night we were all out celebrating James and Lily announcing the pregnancy, Amelia and I just kind of happened. I don't think we ever made it official, but it would seem I've been given a second chance."

"I suggest not messing it up, Sirius."

"I don't intend to," the older wizard looked more serious than Harry had seen him before, "I messed up that night. I should never have given you to Hagrid, I should have taken you to safety and then gone straight to Amelia and explained myself. Instead I chased the rat and ended up leaving you and the woman I loved behind."

"I… never knew."

Sirius shook his head again, though with a small smile this time, "How should you have? But enough about me and my depressing self, what's the whole deal with you and Vanessa?"

Harry couldn't help the smile that came to his face, he had many times wished that he could introduce Vanessa to Sirius, knowing how well they would have gotten along. Now he finally had the chance to do it proper.

"I've known her most of my life, she and I attended the same primary school. There was something that drew me to her the moment we met, and then Hogwarts kind of happened and we both realized how much we love each other around the time we got our letters. Neither of us knew that the other was magical, not initially at first," Harry's grin widened a little, "I wish you could have seen my face when they called her name at the sorting."

Sirius whistled as he listened before grinning, "That's incredible, pup. Though calling her your fiancé might be a bit much, isn't it?"

"Not when you get the rest of the story," Harry replied with a cheeky grin.

"Well go on then, don't leave your poor godfather in suspense," Sirius whined.

"It would seem her and I share a soul bond." Harry stated and then waited for his godfather's reaction.

"Soul bond?" Sirius whispered before looking his godson deep in the eyes, "You are so much like James that its becoming scary. You know, your old man and Lily shared a soul bond as well?"

Harry perked up a little at that, "No I didn't. I don't think anyone did."

"They kept it a secret, they didn't want anyone to poke into it too much. Especially not when you came around."

"Why?"

"A child born between two soul bonded people is magically stronger than your average wizard. You have noticed that you do seem to have an easier time with most magic than others, right?"

Harry had, but he suspected that it had more to do with his knowledge from the past and not as a byproduct of his birth. That would explain why he did feel some of the things he learned originally seemed a lot easier than some of his fellow students. It would also explain why all the new stuff he had been studying was coming to him that much easier.

Harry prepared to speak but was interrupted by the door opening and Amelia stepped inside, a calm look in her eyes but a slight frown on her face.

"You did always cause me headaches, Sirius." She began as she took a seat, "Fudge is willing to let the trial happen. It took a bit of convincing and the not so small threat that if he didn't, you would reveal the entire story to the Prophet and blame it all on Fudge's incompetence. Your trial is scheduled a week from now."

"What did I say, Harry? Amelia always comes through." Sirius declared with a whoop.

"You said no such thing. Stop trying to make yourself look better, Sirius. It rarely works," Harry chided with a wink towards Amelia.

"You wound me, Harry! I would never do such an underhanded thing!" Sirius declared loudly as he stood from his chair and tried to seem offended.

"Sirius, sit down." Amelia ordered, "I'll be in charge of the trial and will be the one to question you while you are under the effects of Veritaserum. I'll bring in Pettigrew right after, and with a little luck that should be all we will need to clear your name and get Pettigrew thrown into Azkaban, if not kissed outright."

Sirius was nodding to himself, happy with what he was hearing. It was Harry, however, that noticed how Amelia was constantly glancing towards him with a worried glance.

"There's something else, isn't there Madam Bones?" Harry finally asked.

"I'm afraid so." She admitted with a nod, "When I was meeting with Fudge, his toad of an undersecretary was there as well," Harry made a face at the mention of the woman, "No sooner had I finished speaking before she interrupted. Apparently she felt she needed to remind the minister that since I was "suggesting" that he took care of the mistakes the minister at the time made, why not also address the charges that "surely" had to be filed against your parents."

"What/What?!" Harry and Sirius yelled in unison.

Amelia nodded with a grave expression, "It's true. Apparently there was charges brought against your Parents after their death, specifically against your mother for her use of Soul and Blood magic to keep you safe."

"You know that is pure dragon dung, Amelia!" Sirius interjected.

"Of course it is!" Amelia barked in return, making Sirius flinch back into his seat, "The original charges were dropped when it was argued that they had helped destroy Voldemort. But now that toad of a woman wants to use the excuse that if we are going to be bringing up old crimes, then perhaps Harry should be tried as well, after all we can't put James and Lily on trial."

"Let them." Harry said calmly before Sirius could go off in a rant.

"What?" Sirius mumbled weakly.

"Let them." Harry repeated, "If they think I can't defend my mother's actions, then they are horribly mistaken."

"What makes you so sure?" Amelia inquired.

"The blood magic, while indeed illegal, was used by Lily _Potter_. She was part of the Ancient and Noble house of Potter, this gives her immunity from the law that prevents _normal_ wizards and witches from using blood magic. Not to mention that she used a protective set of blood runes, those are legal as long as they are used with consent from the target, or in case of a parent using it to protect their young children. My mother was well within her rights to use those blood runes."

"And the soul magic?"

"You mean the anti-possession ward that my mother placed around my crib?" at Amelia's nod, Harry continued, "Soul Magic isn't illegal, it's considered Dark Magic by the ministry, yes, but it isn't illegal. And honestly, if I ask out into the room if anyone there hasn't used similar wards to protect their homes, none of them will be able to say they haven't."

Amelia was nodding along as Harry spoke, everything he was saying was true and if he repeated it all during his trial then there shouldn't be any problems. Not to mention that with Sirius most likely having been declared innocent moments before, it will give them stronger ground to stand on.

"Then I suppose I will see you in a week for the trial," Amelia said with a tired expression.

"I'll see you there," Harry replied with a nod as he rose from his seat, "See you in a week, Sirius."

A quick hug with his godfather and Harry was out of the office and heading down to find Dumbledore and Vanessa. He would have to prepare himself for the potential trial against him in a week. For some reason he couldn't shake the feeling that if he is really brought up on those charges, they will try and use Vanessa to go after him.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

A week later saw the Wizengamot gathered fully for the trail of Sirius Black. It had been revealed to the public through the Prophet that Peter Pettigrew had been captured and as such a retrial would be held to establish the true event that happened the horrible night that the Wizarding world lost James and Lily Potter.

Harry was sitting in the viewers gallery with Vanessa, they were both waiting anxiously for the trial to start. Harry had spent most of the week preparing for this, and for his own potential trial. Vanessa was also prepared, she wasn't sure if she liked the idea they had come up with, but having Amelia poke through her head to establish their relation was surely better than her having to worm her way through some, potentially, troubling questions.

"I hereby open the trail of Sirius Black. Lady Amelia Bones, please bring in the prisoner!" Dumbledore announced.

Sirius was brought in through a side door, he was wearing a huge smile and almost waltzed over to his seat and sat down. He was even whistling a little tune as he waited for them to secure him to the chair.

Amelia stepped forward and showed the vial of Veritaserum to the Wizengamot before administering the allowed three drops to Sirius.

"What is your name?" Amelia began the control questions.

"Sirius Orion Black."

"When where you born?"

"3rd of November, 1959"

"What is the name of your parents?"

"Orion Black and Walburga Black."

Amelia nodded to herself and brought out a scroll with the questions listed on them that she was required to ask for the trail today. A quickl glance towards Dumbledore and upon receiving a nod in return, she begun her questioning.

"Where you a friend of James and Lily Potter?"

"Yes, James was like a brother to me and Lily like a sister."

"Are you the godfather of Harry James Potter?"

"Yes, James asked me just a few days after him and Lily had announced it."

"Are you or have you ever been a Deatheather?"

"No, never."

This sent a ripple of whispers through the room as mutterings of disbelief and shock spread.

"Where you aware of the Fidelius Charm placed upon Godric's Hollow?"

"Yes, Dumbledore cast it at James and Lily's request."

"Were you the Secret Keeper of James and Lily Potter?"

"No."

This caused multiple people to fly off their seats and yell out their disbelief and anger. Many called for the trial to end because surely Black had found a way to lie under the Veritaserum. Other's were scandazlied that they had imprisoned the wrong man for twelve years.

"Who was the Secret Keeper?"

"Peter Pettigrew, I suggested the change because I was the obvious choice and so I suggested Peter."

"So that is the reason you killed Peter Pettigrew that night alongside twelve muggles?"

"No. I chased Peter and when I caught him he began yelling and blew up a gas main, killing twelve people. Then he transformed into his animagus form, a rat, and escaped into the sewers."

"Why were you arrested for the crime then?"

"When the Aurors found me, I was yelling that I had killed James and Lily, because I truly believed that it was my mistake because I suggested Peter."

A loud silence descended upon the chamber as everyone absorbed what they had just heard. Slowly the whispering began spreading and soon it was a deafening rumble of disbelief and yelling. One person stood and yelled out into the chamber.

"What proof do you have of this?! Other than the word of a deranged mad man who have been in Azkaban for twelve years?!" Lucious Malfoy had decided that now was the time to interfere before this became even more of a disaster.

Amelia grinned viciously as she raised her hand and called for silence. "If it is proof that you want, Mr. Malfoy, then you shall have it."

As if one que the doors to the chamber opened and two aurors came into the room, a pale and shaking Peter Pettigrew in their grip. The chamber was silent for all but a second before shouts of outrage began and there was a call for Pettigrew to be kissed right this instant.

Sirius was freed from the chair and Peter sat in his place. The same three drops of Veritaserum was given and Amelia opened with the question that made everyone go silent.

"Peter Pettigrew! Were you the Secret Keeper of James and Lily Potter?"

"Yes." The rat faced man mumbled weakly.

"Did you betray them to Voldemort?"

"Yes."

That was all it took. Chaos began once more and this time no amount of yelling from either Amelia or Dumbledore seemed sufficient to calm them down. It took Dumbledore firing high powered noise makers into the air, almost making everyone in the chamber deaf, to finally get some semblance of order back.

"In the light of the evidence brought forward during this trial. All in favor of fully pardoning Sirius Black!?"

Nearly every wand in the room rose into the sky with a small white light from the tip, indicating their agreement to the statement.

"Sirius Black is hereby a free man and will receive compensation for his twelve wrongful years of imprisonment!" Dumbledore's eyes then fell on Pettigrew and even those in the viewers gallery could feel the malice in his gaze, "All of those in favor of a lifetime imprisonment in Azkaban for the crimes committed by Peter Pettigrew?"

This time there was even fewer wands that didn't rise and Dumbledore slammed his gavel down one final time. Peter Pettigrew as carried out of the chambers screaming and kicking about how he didn't want to go and that the Dark Lord had deceived him.

"Very well," Dumbledore began, "If there is no further business then I declare this Wizengamot meeting.."

"Hem Hem."

Dumbledore visibly held back a sigh as he turned towards the voice, "The floor recognizes Undersecretary Umbridge."

"Thank you, Chief Warlock. Now since we are bringing up crimes of the past, and working to resolve them, I feel it is my duty to remind everyone of the case that was brought forward in 1981 against Lily Potter."

Harry felt his head his hands as he tried to refrain from killing the mad woman in front of him. He truly hated this woman, more so than he hated even Voldemort, but then again. This woman was a much more personal evil than what Voldemort did.

"If I remember correctly, Undersecretary Umbridge, those charges were also dropped." Dumbledore stated with a knowing look.

"Be that as it may, but if we are willing to go to these lengths to defend, then surely we must also equally looked upon those we accuse?"

With a great sigh, Dumbledore turned towards Amelia and saw her expression. With a nearly invisible nod shared between them, Dumbledore turned his view towards Harry.

"Harry Potter, please join Madam Bones on the floor."

Harry did as asked, giving a small smile towards Sirius as they passed one another on the stairs of the viewers gallery. The young Lord took a seat and appreciated that he at least wasn't bound down like the two before him.

"My apologies for this, Lord Potter." Amelia said.

"It's quite alright Madam Bones." Harry began before turning to look towards the gathered members, "Am I correct in assuming these charges are my mothers supposed misuse of Blood Magic?"

"Do not forget her use of Soul Magic, young man." Umbridge chided.

"I did not forget, Madam Umbridge, but I needn't remind the gathered members here today that Soul Magic isn't illegal. Simply because a school of magic is considered dark, does not make it illegal after all."

Umbridge looked like she wanted to protest but knew she couldn't, not after that little brat had just unraveled the entire argument in one fluent motion.

"As for the blood magic? My mother was well within her legal rights to place protective blood runes on my crib. She was, after all, my parent and as such was not required to have my consent before placing them."

"Be that as it may, young man. Blood Magic is still forbidden to anyone but pureblood wizards, your mother was, after all, muggleborn."

"Again, Madan Umbridge, I find myself disagreeing. The law clearly states that any member of a Noble and Ancient house is allowed to perform blood magic as long as it is protective in nature. My mother was Lily Potter, member of the Noble and Ancient house of Potter, so she was quite clearly within her rights."

There was silence yet again in the room. A thirteen year old had just dismantled any argument to be made against his mother for her actions that night. And he had done it masterfully at that. More than a few people found themselves suspecting a bit of trickery going on, but none dared voice it.

"One more point, Chief Warlock." Lucious Malfoy had risen up once more, nose high in the sky.

"The floor recognizes Lucious Malfoy," Dumbledore announced.

"Correct me if I heard wrong, but Madam Bones referred to Mr. Potter as _Lord_ Potter. But I for one have not received notification that we have inducted a new lord amongst us," Malfoy looked pleased with himself, hoping that he could get one over the Potter brat.

"I would quite like to know as well," another member announced, quickly followed by a few more.

"Quiet, quiet!" Dumbledore demanded as a ruckus began breaking out, "Indeed none have received word about young Mr. Potter taking up the mantle of Lord Potter. This was done at his request, he did not feel ready to enter the political world just yet as he wished to enjoy his years at Hogwarts first."

"So he is emancipated?!" Yelled a wizard from among the gathered membered.

"It would not matter, nothing short of marriage or engagement would allow young Mr. Potter to take up Lordship before he reached 14." A witch clarified with a glance towards the visitor's gallery and the young girl sitting next to Sirius Black.

"Then I fail to see the issue," announced Harry with a bored expression, his head resting against his hand, "I'm engaged to a lovely witch and the Chief Warlock can even confirm it, he was, after all, present at the time of the announcement."

"Preposterous! Who would this witch be?!" Lucious yelled loudly.

With a bored gesture, Harry pointed towards Vanessa sitting in the viewer's gallery. The witch in question gave a small wave and a nervous smile, boy that was a lot of eyes looking at her all of a sudden.

"I demand proof of this." Announced yet another member.

"How would you want it?" drawled Harry with annoyance.

"I suggest letting Madam Bones scan her mind, if what they say is true then Madam Bones will see it. For good measure I also suggest asking her under the effects of Veritaserum." Replied the same member.

"I accept!" Vanessa yelled from her seat as she rose and quickly made her way down and stood next to Harry.

"Are you sure, Miss Weaver?" Dumbledore asked once everyone had calmed down.

"Positive, bring on the mind probe." Vanessa replied with a grin.

Amelia sent a glance towards Dumbledore as if asking for permission. When all she got was a tired nod, she knew there was now way around it. Drawing her wand, Amelia pointed it between Vanessa's eyes and began the spell.

As Vanessa's trained mind began unraveling before her, she found the proof she needed quickly enough but she noticed something else while she was looking through the young witch's memories. A small part of it was blocked off by a powerful spell that she couldn't identify. Amelia withdrew from Vanessa's mind and looked worriedly at the younger witch. Moments later, Vanessa had been given Veritaserum and asked a few rudimentary questions culminating in the question, "Are you the fiancé of Harry James Potter," and when she had answered yes, no one could argue any more.

Dumbledore finally called the session to an end. Once everyone had departed, Amelia took Harry, Vanessa, Dumbledore and the new free Sirius to her office. Once they were alone she raised a silencing ward and locked the door.

"My apologies for this, but I found something when I looked through Vanessa's memories."

Harry and Vanessa shared a glance at this. They had prepared for the potential that someone might read their minds and they had locked away the memories of their previous life in a place no one should be able to reach.

"What did you find?" Vanessa asked.

"There was a… block… on a short part of your memories. I couldn't determine the spell that blocked it, but it was much more powerful than anything I have encountered before."

Vanessa looked shocked, as did Sirius and Dumbledore. No one noticed Harry turning pale for a second as his entire skull felt like it got split open and memories began replanting themselves. He saw them as they visited the Dark Elven castle, he saw the beginning of his meeting with the Queen and his visit to the library there. But he also remembered the rage and anger and he felt towards his Queen, but he couldn't remember why he was angry. But he could remember the fury, the rage that still now burned in his veins as he thought about it.

A single glance towards Vanessa was all Harry needed to know that she had just experienced something like him. Someone inside the castle had messed with their memories, and the only one strong enough to have done it without Harry noticing it at all? Only his Queen was that powerful.

"No…" those were the last words that Harry managed to mumble before the weight of his memories threw him into unconsciousness.

* * *

**A/N: I don't do trial scene's very well. Sue me.**


	30. Chapter 30

**There will be mentions and reference to Rape in this chapter. No outright written act, but it will be "remembered" and "witnessed" so to speak. You have been warned.**

* * *

It had been some longs months since the trial of Sirius and Harry. After Harry had collapsed in the office of Madam Bones, he had excused it towards fatigue and mental stress. At least that was the excuse he had made originally. When he was alone with Dumbledore and Vanessa he had finally revealed his suspicions about someone having messed with their memories, and what Amelia found had only confirmed it for him.

Both of them had been angry with him for keeping it a secret, but his reasoning that if it had turned out be nothing reduced their anger a little. Since then, Harry had been working nearly every waking moment to figure out how to unblock the last parts of their memory, but from what he could determine there wasn't any spell created by humans that could do this.

He had exhausted the library and the forbidden section for any knowledge on the matter and found nothing but a few vague references to works that have been lost for almost as long as Hogwarts had been standing. In his desperation, Harry went to the Ministry and broke into their storage of forbidden books. He had spent countless hours poring over old tomes and texts. Still he found nothing, no matter how far back or how dark the spells, nothing could undo a spell performed by a Dark Elf. Their natural affinity for magic simply outstripped any human, he was running out of options, and he did not like running out of options.

It was on the 26th of December that Harry finally was ready to give up. A huge tome bound in ancient leather thumped down on the table before him as a great sigh escaped his lips. There was nothing left. That tome had been his last hope and now there was just no other way to find what he needed.

"Harry?" Vanessa's careful voice brought him out of his thoughts as he looked up into her beautiful eyes.

"Hey love, what brings you down this late?" he asked in a tired tone, slipping back to his old way of talk.

"It's three at night, Ace. You have to stop every once in a while." She replied, her old tone resurfacing, as she took a seat in his lap.

"I know, and I'm done. This," Harry kicked the underside of the table, making the tome jump, "was my last bet. I'm out of ideas and options."

Vanessa opened the book and skimmed through a few pages before closing it again. She adjusted herself so she could look directly at Harry. "There's always more options, you taught me that. So think; there must be a resource you haven't exhausted just yet."

Harry nodded, "There is," at Vanessa smile, he lifted hand to stop her and continued, "I don't know if I can face Annabeth so soon, and with this in tow? How am I even going to explain this entire mess to her?"

Vanessa was quiet for a moment, her hand absently running through Harry's messy hair. "How about," she began in a low tone, "you tell her the truth?" seeing the look in Harry's eyes she continued, "She loves you, Harry, more than you ever realized. She's been in the business longer than most, I'm sure she's head worse."

Harry's head hit the back of the chair with a heavy sigh escaping him, "I guess you are right, I just don't know."

"Sleep on it, and then we go from there."

With those words, Vanessa vanished back up to her dorm and Harry remained seated for a while longer. Thinking about what he wanted to do. In the end he went to bed with thoughts about a mansion in Italy where two of the people he missed the most resided.

The very next morning, Harry approached Dumbledore at breakfast and requested a private word with him. They talked for hours as Harry talked about contacting the MDA and getting a hold of Annabeth specifically, he figured that he couldn't go to Italy so maybe they could convince her to come here instead. Dumbledore was a little hesitant but figured that if he just mentioned it was at Harry's request, then Annabeth wouldn't mind.

It wasn't until after the new year that word came back to them from the MDA. Annabeth had received the message and was coming to Britain sometime during January to speak with Harry, but only because he requested it. She also stated that if anyone but her nephew and Dumbledore was present at the meeting, there would be great consequences to follow.

Harry acted strangely after that, mostly because he was filled with anticipation of finally seeing Annabeth again. Vanessa tried to keep him calm but even she couldn't curb her enthusiasm about meeting the woman that had been her mentor once again, after all she doubted that she would be joining the organization she was part of last time, at least not for a few years yet.

Finally, the day came where Annabeth was slated to arrive. Harry was sitting in a private room with Vanessa, waiting for Dumbledore to arrive with Annabeth in tow. Vanessa had been trying to get him to calm down the entire day but he was still on edge.

Harry almost jumped out of his skin when the door opened and Annabeth stepped inside closely followed by Dumbledore. The two stared at one another for a while before Annabeth nodded and sat down and just stared at the two youths in front of her for a few minutes.

"I remember specifically stating that I only wanted you and Dumbledore here, Harry." Annabeth broke the silence first.

"I know, but Vanessa needed to be here for a few reasons, the most important one being that she means a lot to me, and hopefully to you in the future."

"By all means kid, I'm curious why you took contact to me. Honestly I wasn't expecting you to know about me until you turned 17 in a few years."

"Because of the letter you left me at Gringotts? Yeah, I'll get to that. You just promise me that you will listen to me fully before saying anything."

"Alright kid, I promise."

And then he began his story. Starting with his earliest life and continuing on. When he had finally begun, it all kind of spilled out without control. He told her everything about how he found her originally, how he became a part of her family, how she trained him and how in the end she was responsible for his meeting with Vanessa. When he reached the part about dying and coming back, he saw a flicker of recognition in her eyes and he knew, she had heard something like the before. He talked about his first while back and what had happened up until now, finally he covered the events with the Dark Elves and his connection to them, as well as the problem they were now facing and the reason he had reached out to her.

Finally done with his story, Harry took a breath and then waited for Annabeth to react.

"Well kid…" Annabeth looked a little shocked, "you are definitely your mother's son. Bringing me this much trouble the first time we see each other in years."

"So you believe me?"

"Of course I do, kid. I can see it in your eyes, they are too old for someone your age. Same goes for your girlfriend there. A Rebirth… I can't say I haven't heard of it before. A few unfortunate chaps have recorded it down through history, but none have ever been verified, I guess we have one now."

"So can you help us?" Vanessa asked.

Annabeth nodded slowly, "I know someone who has experience in this field, I can have him here by tomorrow. Though be prepared, he's… special."

"I think we can handle him." Harry assured with a smile.

Annabeth grinned back at him before leaving the room with Dumbledore to use his floo. They returned half an hour later to inform the two youths that Annabeth's friend would be here tomorrow around this time. The rest of the day was spent with Harry and Annabeth talking, mostly just getting to know one another again and learning what was different between what Harry knew and what was true now.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

The next day, Harry and Vanessa sat in the same room, once again waiting for the arrival of Annabeth. Though this time they were also awaiting the arrival of her mysterious friend.

"So who do you think she called?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know," Harry mumbled, "It could be anyone really."

As if on cue Annabeth stepped through the door and closed it behind her, she took a seat opposite the two youths and stared at them for a moment.

"Okay, my friend is here and remember what I said. He's a little special." Annabeth said.

"We know, bring him on." Vanessa replied with a grin.

The door opened once more and both Harry and Vanessa had to do a double take when they saw who stepped through the door. A male Dark Elf stood in the door, dull silver hair pulled into a pony tail and an eyepatch covering his left eye. His one visible eye was looking at both of them with something they thought was both pity and respect.

He stepped into the room and just before reaching the couch with the two youths, he dropped to a knee and addressed Harry.

"My Lord Herald, it is an honor to meet you. I am Drulel." The Dark elf greeted.

Harry blinked once before replying, "It's good to meet you, Drulel, but you don't need to address me so formally."

Drulel rose up before taking a seat next to Annabeth. "I know, Lord Herald, but it is only proper that I refer to you by your proper title. Exiled from the Dark Elves I might be, I still honor some of our traditions."

"Exiled?" Vanessa mumbled.

"Yes. My half-sister was not very happy with my presence in the capital. I am an… unfortunate reminder about the reality around her." Drulel explained weakly.

"Who's your sister?" Harry inquired.

"Half-sister," Drulel stressed with a slight scowl, "And the current Queen, Amorpha, is my half-sister."

Harry's eyes widened as his mouth stood agape, he'd never heard about something like this!

"My Queen has a brother?!" Harry exclaimed before he could stop himself.

"_**Half-Brother**_," Drulel growled "And yes, we share a father."

"You are a son of Merlin?" Vanessa said in surprise.

Drulel nodded before looking positively grim. "I'm the son of Merlin and the woman he truly loved… at least he did before our previous Queen ensnared him with a spell after he refused her…"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on!" Harry exclaimed, "Start from the beginning."

Drulel sighed and rubbed his forehead before staring at the two youths. "Many years ago, when the human Wizard Merlin came to the Ashwoods he met a young Dark Elf woman with whom he fell in love, the woman got pregnant. However, before the child was born, the Dark Elven Queen at the time got her eye on Merlin and realized that he could give her a strong Daughter to rule after her. Merlin, being in love as he was, refused the queen and was ready to depart the Ashwoods with the one he wanted to make his wife. The Queen was angered by this and took matters into her own hands.

She invited Merlin to the royal castle, a place where the Queen has absolute command over everyone. Once he was there, the Queen poisoned Merlins mind and made him believe that he truly loved the Queen. The woman Merlin left, my mother, fled the Ashwoods in grief and hid amongst four trustworthy humans that Merlin had spoken of, those whom you would know as the Founders of Hogwarts. Merlin died, as you know, while still under the spell. My mother gave birth to me and I returned to the Ashwoods upon my eighteenth birthday.

I didn't believe what my mother had told me, and simply assumed she had been the one to attempt to ensnare Merlin from our Queen. When I arrived, Amorpha was in a rage, not only had I returned, but I was a stain upon her rule. After all, what is a constant reminder that your father would rather see death than remain with his daughter? She allowed me to stay, but only for a while, and after twenty years she exiled me under the claims that I was attempting to usurp her rule. Never mind the fact that the Dark Elves would never serve a lone King. I returned home to my mother, ashamed that I didn't believe her, and remained with her until she eventually succumbed to her grief. Dark Elves, as you know, Lord Herald, can love so intensely that they might die of pure grief at the loss of their loved one."

Harry and Vanessa both sat in wide-eyed wonder at Drulel's explanation. Harry was floored by the fact that such a thing had happened within the Ashwoods, it hurt a little to accept that the Queen he had devoted himself to so greatly was capable of such evil, not to mention what the previous Queen did.

"So you know what happened to us?" Vanessa asked, though her voice was barely above a whisper.

"I imagine Amorpha did something to both of you, then blocked off your memories of it in hopes of getting away with it. Thankfully it seems you both hold a strong enough will to have found it, now the only trouble is unlocking those memories." Drulel explained.

"How do we do that?" Vanessa continued.

"To unlock the memories, you must face what is within them. Amorpha would not have been able to lock them away if it did not play upon your fears. I can brew you a potion that will allow you to traverse these memories in your sleep. You must face them and accept what happened to you both, until you do so they will never truly return to you and you will forever feel as if there is something you just forgot."

"Okay, sounds simple enough. Horrifying, potentially, but simple. How do we do it?" Harry asked.

"I can make you a potion that will allow you to access the memories as you sleep. Then it is a matter of whatever you can truly accept what transpired. I might add one thing, when you are within these memories, there is a good chance that a degree of… personal… interaction might be necessary."

"How so?"

"Sometime it involves speaking to the individual that did it do you, other times you might be required to fight, or even kill, the one to mess with your memories. It really changes depending on the person. Most importantly though is whatever you have the strength to accept what happened, and find the truth about yourself in the process."

"Make the potion, we are doing this. Tonight."

"I'm with Vanessa, can you have it done by then?"

"The brewing is not difficult and I have all I need with me, I shall begin immediately. If I can be provided a lab?"

"Seventh floor, opposite the tapestry of a human trying to teach trolls to dance. Walk by the wall three times with a clear image of what you need, the door will appear." Harry explained.

"Thank you, Lord Herald. I shall find you when the potion is ready." With those words, Drulel vanished out the door once more, seemingly heading towards his destination.

It was hours later, long into the afternoon, that Harry and Vanessa ventured to the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor. They found the door, slightly ajar, and entered without a second thought. Drulel was standing over a cauldron, face covered with different colors from the potion fumes.

"It is ready." Drulel declared as he caught sight of the two.

"So we just drink it and then go to sleep?" Vanessa inquired.

"Yes, the potion will send you into a magically induced sleep. Be warned, it will awaken you if you seem like you are about to break under the pressure of the memories." Drulel instructed as he poured two vials of the rainbow colored liquid.

Harry focused for a second and then two beds appeared in the corner, courtesy of the Room of course. They took their separate beds and accepted a vial each from Drulel with a nod of thanks.

"Well… bottoms up." Harry intoned as he and Vanessa clanked vials before downing the entire content in one gulp. It tasted oddly like strawberries. They both laid down and didn't have to wait long. Before the minute was up, they were both out cold and well on their way to their deepest memories.

"The Goddess guide you both…" Drulel whispered as he knelt down and began praying.

**Within Harry's Mind**

Looking around, Harry found himself standing in the sitting room of his Queen. There was a strange silence hanging in the room, no one was there aside from himself and he was beginning to wonder if the potion worked.

"No… no… no…" the weak sound of Vanessa's voice reached his ears and his head snapped sideways looking for her. He saw her sitting in a heap on the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks as his Queen stood above her with a bored expression.

He remembered this, he remembered what he had been forced to witness before his Queen had made him leave the room with her aide. He felt sick, as if his stomach was going to force its way through his throat. He felt tear stinging at the corner of his eye, and a cold fury growing in his core. When he looked up, he froze in place. Before his eyes, he was forced to witness everything that his Queen did to Vanessa while he was in the library.

"_Do you know how long I lusted for him? The night we shared deep inside the forest… he drew sounds from my throat I didn't know I could make, he reached places I didn't know could be reached. Then, finally, I track him down in the human world… with you. I finally thought I could have him again… enjoy more nights like our last… at least until he found the mother of my husband."_

Harry watched in horror as his Queen grabbed Vanessa's rear and brought their bodies closer.

"_Think of my… displeasure… when I was informed he had given his heart to another. At first I thought it a simple slip, surely he couldn't have found the mother of my husband so soon… I performed every spell, checked everything six times over… But you were the one, the Mother of the Prince. So yes, you will hand your son over to this… nymphomaniac… and I will treasure every moan and cry he makes, knowing it will bring you suffering until the end of your days."_

This couldn't be right. His Queen, she… she didn't see him like that, she couldn't have. She had always known that Harry would be the father of her future husband. Sure they spend a night together, but that was before Harry knew what his role was. It just couldn't be right. His Queen… she couldn't have been… be… in love with him?

"Why not, my dear Harry?" The voice of Amorpha rang through the room and suddenly Harry found himself standing in nothing but pure white. Amorpha stood before him, silver gown flowing into the endless light around them.

"You couldn't… you always work things to your favor. What we shared was a one time thing, you couldn't possibly have…" Harry tried to reason weakly with the vision in front of him.

"Oh but I do. I love you, I love the feeling of your hands over my body, I love the feeling of you deep inside me. I love you." Amorpha replied with her casual smile and began walking closer.

"No, you don't you can't. I love Vanessa, you knew this! Why would you hurt her, hurt me, if you truly loved me?!" Harry yelled as he collapsed to his knees.

"Why didn't you hear me, Harry? I was angry of course, that little whore had stolen you away from me. I simply couldn't let that slide, she had to realize her place below me. After all, you love me, and she had to realize that I meant more to you." Amorpha replied as she drew Harry into an embrace, placing his head into her bosom.

Harry stifled a scream as his mind ran rampant. "It's true," he admitted weakly, "I love you… I always have. You are my Queen, I cannot bring myself to hate you." Harry's eyes hardened as he freed himself from Amorpha's embrace, "But I also love Vanessa, she is first in my heart and always will be. You… you raped the woman I love in front of me… and you did it because… because you loved me too much…"

The vision of Amorpha rose to her feet and smiled kindly at him, "That is true, my Harry. Now all there is left is that one last question."

"What?" Harry growled in response.

"What are you going to do about it?" The vision mocked as Harry's world drowned in darkness.

**Within Vanessa's Mind**

Vanessa didn't have any trouble recognizing the sitting room of Amorpha. Every part of it was oddly familiar to her eyes. There was a smell in the air that she couldn't identify, at least not a first. Slowly it came back to her, all that had happened within this room. As the smell familiarized itself, a sound reached her ears… the sound of her own moaning?

She found the source quickly. It was her, sitting in the same damned chair that she had sat in as Amorpha had forced herself upon her. The memories fell back into place slowly, almost gently, as if to spare her a backlash. Finally when everything made sense again, she looked upon the scene closer. It was herself in the chair, who wouldn't recognize their own bodies? Failing that… no one sounded like her… no one. What was disturbing her thoughts was what she was seeing.

The long silver hair of Amorpha was down between her legs, her own hand gripping it harshly as gasp and moans erupted from her memory double. It was clear on her face that she was loving every second of it, at least that was the indication she got from the way her free hand was grasping the chair.

But that couldn't be right, she didn't like what happened, she screamed and fought every second that it was happening… didn't she?

"I don't know about that… it felt… amazing." Her own voice appeared from next to her, and sure enough another Vanessa was standing next to her, buck naked and looking at the scene with a begging expression.

"It was vile… I would never… could never, enjoy something like that." The original ground out through a hiss.

"But didn't you? I mean just look at us, clearly we are enjoying ourselves. Your memories wouldn't lie to you, would they?" her clone asked.

"It can't be true, I would never let someone else touch me willingly… not as long as Harry was still alive." Vanessa growled back.

"Harry this, Harry that. What's so great about him really? I mean yeah, he's a fun shag, but that's about as far as the wand goes. We're a witch ourselves now! We don't need him anymore. And quite clearly we realized that when Amorpha's tongue was getting busy." Her clone argued, arms crossed over her chest.

"Harry's the best god damn thing to happen to me! If it hadn't been for him and Annabeth I would still be stuck working for that low paying sleezeball!" Vanessa roared back, almost pouncing on her infuriating clone.

"Oh come now… you are just kidding yourself, I mean just look at that," the clone gestured towards their third self, "Does that look like she still needs Harry?"

Vanessa's eyes snapped over to her last self once again and her eyes almost buggered out of her head. She The roles had been switched and her last clone was clearly going to town on Amorpha's privates. But it was those sounds, and the way one of her hands was between her own legs that was bugging her. Could that be true? Was this really as far as her love for Harry went? A good shag?

"Makes' sense though, doesn't it? I mean he never really did anything too great with us. Can you honestly say that we weren't just waiting for a more inviting shag to come along?" Her clone questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"No, that can't be right. I just can't be…" her eyes trailed along the two intertwined bodies in front of her and she felt her mind falter. Could it be true? She always thought that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, for heaven's sake he was going to propose before they were killed and reborn.

Reborn… reborn!

"If what you say is true," Vanessa's eyes hardened as she walked over and grabbed her clone by the throat, "Then explain how Harry could have loved me enough to pull my soul from hell and bring me back to life with him? Explain to me how I would have gone along with that if I didn't love him with all that I am?" She squeezed harder and harder, enjoying the faltering expressing upon her clone.

"I… I can't…" the clone said through ragged breath, "but it doesn't change what you are seeing is the truth!"

Vanessa's face twisted into a scowl as she gave one final squeeze and her clone vanished into smoke. Her gaze fell upon Amorpha's face. Eyes closed and mouth open in a pleasurably scream. She felt an inferno gripping her heart. Reaching out her hand, she felt her old weapon materialize in her grip and within seconds, she had the scope trained right between Amorpha's eyes.

"Lick on this, bitch."

Amorpha vanished in a cloud of smoke as the bullet connected with her forehead. At least Vanessa got the enjoyment of seeing the body almost make a full backflip before evaporating. The rifle vanished from her grip and she walked over to her last clone that now sat on its knees on the floor.

As she got closer, Vanessa heard her own voice speak up. "She… she raped me…" the voice was broken, almost pitiful. Vanessa bent down and turned her other self around and stared into tear-filled eyes.

"I know," she said, "I know…" her own tears began falling as her clone tackled her into a hug and began bawling her eyes out. "She raped me… but never again. I will never let something like that happen again." Vanessa felt her clone nod determinedly against her shoulder before it, too, vanished into smoke.

"I'm going to kill that bitch." She declared before her world went dark.

**Back in the waking world.**

Harry and Vanessa both snapped up in their beds with gasping breaths. Their eyes found one another and Harry was the first to break. Tears fell from his eyes as he jumped out of his bed and into Vanessa's and grabbed her into a tight embrace, whispering his love for her over and over again.

Vanessa was holding on to Harry with all she could, determined not to cry over this anymore. The constant reassurance of Harry's love was soothing her mind more than anything ever could and when she finally had a moment as Harry drew back to look her in the eyes, she spoke her mind.

"I want her dead, Harry… I want Amorpha dead…"

* * *

**A/N: If it might seem like Harry had to do less to break the block… it's because I had a more clear image of what Vanessa had to do, so more text went into that.**

**FYI: There is only 4 more chapters planned. Might extend a little further if I miscalculated the length of certain events.**


	31. Chapter 31

"_I want her dead, Harry… I want Amorpha dead…"_

The words didn't surprise him. Not to the degree he had wanted them to anyway. Somewhere deep inside his mind he had known that of the two of them, he was the one who had changed the most after they were returned to life. Vanessa had always been violent in nature, it lend itself to the job perfectly. Him… less so. He'd grown violent over his training and relationship with her, sure, but part of him was still the same kid from Hogwarts. The kid who ran to a bathroom to fight a troll to protect a friend, the kid whom faced off against a thousand year old basilisk for his best friend's (at the time) sister.

After being returned, some of that little boy had been allowed to come back. Being faced with this world, this world were his former self had been happy and taken care of, he had thought he could finally relax a little. Vanessa hadn't shared his sentiment. She was herself, younger body or not, and that had shined through more than once in the past three years.

So no, the words didn't surprise him. He was expecting them. He dreaded them. He had hoped never to hear them. Because he knew. He knew she was right.

_Amorpha had to die._

"I… I can't…" the words felt like lead in his mouth.

"What?" her response was expected, if anything, he would have been the first to call for someone else's blood. Not now. Not over this. Not with something this big.

"I can't kill her…" he had closed his eyes somewhere in there. Not wanting to see the look of disappointment and rage on his lovers face.

"What do you mean you can't kill her?!" she yelled and he felt her hands clasp around his shoulders, "After what she did to us, are you telling me that you don't want revenge?!"

"It's not that simple…" he defended weakly. He knew she didn't care, not about the Amorpha, not about the Dark Elves, she only cared for one thing. Death of a Queen.

"Of course it's that simple! She ra…" the word died in her throat. Within seconds of the hiccup he had pulled her back into his embrace.

"_She raped me…"_ the words were so soft-spoken, so full of fear and rage that he was not even sure if they were her own anymore.

"I know," he muttered, "I know…" They sat there in the bed, holding on to one another while being unaware of the other presence in the room.

Drulel had watched since they woke up and he was experiencing and old feeling. Compassion. He felt for the two, he truly did. Sadly, he also knew the way the Dark Elves would look upon this. They would shrug and not care, after all, it was their Queens will and nothing was above that. Well… perhaps one thing, but no one had truly spoken with their Goddess for hundreds of years.

"Herald," Drulel intoned, "I would offer my sympathy if I thought it warranted, but there is the matter of what you now remember and how you wish to take action."

Harry looked up from Vanessa and tried to read the dark elf's face. It was annoyingly blank.

"I'm not sure, I need to think about this. Something has to be done, but I'm not sure what I can do, if I go to Amorpha… odds are the same thing will happen again. I won't let that happen, never again." Harry growled.

"I would recommend sleeping on it." Drulel gave a short bow before he spoke again, "My business has been concluded and I shall take my leave. If you ever require my services, Lord Herald, then you will know where to find me." With those words, Drulel vanished out through the door.

"Let's get you to bed…" Harry mumbled as he helped Vanessa off the bed and guided her towards the door.

When they stepped outside, Vanessa freed herself from Harry's grasp and walked away. She wasn't heading towards the dorms, so she was likely going to find somewhere to be alone for the moment. He understood the feeling, he wanted to scream at the world but he knew that it wouldn't help him. Not here anyway.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

It had been a long time since Harry had found his way up here, to the roof of Hogwarts tallest tower. He laid there, eyes half closed as he gazed out over the stars. He had always loved the starry sky, not for any romantic reason, it was just a calming sight to him, like the ocean to some people. He held his gaze on a particular constellation of stars, he figured he was quite tired, the constellation was moving after all.

He kept watching it in amusement as he imagined it swirling and changing shape multiple times. Chuckling to himself he watched as one of the stars seemed to grow a little brighter, distancing itself from the other's around it. He propped himself up on his elbows to watch it a little better. His eyebrow rose in curiosity when the star kept growing… until he realized it wasn't growing, it was getting closer!

"Holy shit!" he yelled in surprise as he quickly prepared to jump over the edge of the tower and spam as many cushioning charms as he could on the ground to hopefully negate the fall.

Only he never got that far.

The star stopped a little before him, bathing the tower in a brilliant silver light. He felt a soothing presence around him as he gazed upon the light. Slowly it grew and split into a beautiful woman with long flowing hair made of starlight, she hung there in the air, eyes glowing like the moon. She closed the distance between them and guided him back to the place he had been sitting before.

Suddenly his head snapped up as he finally connected the puzzle, this woman could only be one thing. This presence she commanded, the complete and endless faith he felt for her, as well as the swelling feeling of love that rose in his chest.

"My Goddess…" he breathed with a small tear in his eyes.

"Not quite, pipsqueak." A younger voice declared.

Harry turned his head, the woman of starlight vanishing as he no longer paid her attention. He saw a small girl sitting on the roof with him, a Dark Elf. She could not have been more than twelve years old. Her feet were bare, but her legs were covered be a pair of loose denim jeans. Around her chest clung a white t-shit with the words "Top Gun" written across the middle in the font of the titular movie. Her skin was as dark as charcoal and her eyes, a brimming crimson that seemed to absorb the light around them. Finally, there was her hair, the more Harry looked at it the longer it seemed to get, until he realized why it was. The entire starry night sky was her hair.

The small girl saluted with a cheeky grin as she spoke. "How's it going there, Herald?"

Harry's jaw dropped as realization set in, this… this was the Goddess of the Dark Elven people?!

As if reading his thoughts, she nodded her head once and laughed. "I'm indeed their Goddess, and yours for that matter. So, kiddo, what brings you up here to be all dark and gloomy?" she asked casually as she spun her fingers and a long, already lit, ivory pipe appeared in her hands.

"I-I-I…. um… w-what… you… h-how… w-where?" Harry stammered as his head began swimming.

"Want a dictionary to go along with that vocabulary?" The Goddess asked, arms crossed over her chest.

"Why?" Harry finally squeaked.

"Why what? Why did I create the Dark Elves? Why did I make you my Herald? Why did Walt Disney want to make animated movies? Why does men get morning wood? Specifics, kid." She retorted with a large grin.

"Second one." Harry mumbled as he tried to focus.

"The Herald thing? Well… I needed one and you fulfilled the criteria. That is it. Really could have been someone else." The Goddess admitted with a shrug.

"Criteria?" Harry whispered.

"Yeah!" The Goddess exclaimed. "You know, brave, smart, powerful, willing to obey when I order something. All that jazz."

Harry finally took a deep breath and really looked at the girl in front of him. She radiated power and peace. The moonlight clung to the edge of her body, outlining her small form and giving her a divine aura. Currently she was sitting on what seemed like a small cloud, legs crossed and pipe hanging lazily from her mouth.

"To what do I owe the honor, My Goddess?" Harry asked as he bowed his head until it touched the roof.

He heard her scoff before something hammered him over the back of the head and he heard her order "Sit up." As he did so, he saw her sitting with a careless expression.

"Drop the formalities, if I had wanted your adoration and awestruckness… well… I'd just have shown up as a corporeal version of the star lady you saw. Made you drool something fierce didn't it?" She stated with a sultry grin at the memory.

'_Is Awestruckness even a word?'_ Harry wondered privately.

"As for why I'm here? Honestly, I figured you were owed an apology." His Goddess eyes hardened slightly as she spoke. "Amorpha crossed a human line when she forced herself upon your betrothed. So for that…" she bowed down deeply upon her small cloud, "Harry Potter, my Herald, I apologize for the actions which the current Queen of my creations inflicted upon you and yours."

Harry's mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to formulate a response. He was angry over what Amorpha did, raging actually, but he still found himself in conflict. Now here was his Goddess apologizing for her.

"You need not apologize. Amorpha was the one who did it, and I will find my own way to punish her for it." Harry replied.

"If you wish, I can punish her for her actions in your stead. I can promise I won't be merciful." She asked in return, her eyes turning sinister.

Harry shook his head. "No, she will be punished, but I'll be the one to do it."

"If that is what you want, kid." She replied as she fell back into a more relaxed position. "So, for the other reason I'm here. You are my Herald, I chose you to perform extensions of my will. One of these things will be that you _will_ hand over your son to Amorpha. However!" she quickly exclaimed with a raised hand before Harry could voice his argument, "you will choose how you wish it done. If you want to withhold your Son until he is old enough to make the choice for himself, then so be it."

"Is that all?" Harry asked with a bit of edge to his tone.

"At first, yes. Then there is your official duty as a Herald. You will be the one to reintroduce the Dark Elven people to the human realm." His Goddess explained as she puffed her pipe.

"What?" Harry exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, what did you think you'd be doing?" she questioned in a deadpan tone, "you and the other Heralds will work together to finally return all the races to equilibrium."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Harry yelled as he flailed his hands, "other Heralds?"

She looked down on him with an annoyed expression over being interrupted. "Yes, Harry. _Other Heralds_. You are the Herald of me and the Dark Elves. There is also the Herald for the High Elves, the Dwarves, and many more. You'll get to meet them in a few years." She waved her hand dismissively as she explained the last bit.

"How am I supposed to reintroduce an entire race?!" Harry yelled in confusion, this wasn't just something you went and asked someone to do!

"I don't know. Invite a few of them to Hogwarts alongside your kid?" She asked with ridicule and a stare that intoned exactly what she thought of his intellect.

A light suddenly shone in Harry's eyes, the pieces falling into place and his grinned deviously at his Goddess.

"You're a clever one, aren't you?" he stated with his grin steadily growing.

She shrugged in response, but he saw it in her eyes. "I'll admit to being of a certain intellect. Happy to see that I didn't chose you based on your looks alone."

"Will she go for it though?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You are my Herald. A word from you is like a word from my mouth, if she does not obey… I'll pay a visit." She responded with a wide grin.

They both sat in silence for a while after that declaration. Harry was in deep thought about all this, mostly trying to figure out how exactly he was going to relay all of this to Vanessa. Meanwhile the Goddess was rolling over a few thoughts of her own. Her little Herald was going to finish up very soon, if what she had gleaned from the time stream was correct. Nevertheless, she would wait for a while; let him live a little, before saddling him with the duty of a Herald.

"So… I guess Humanity doesn't have a Herald?" Harry finally asked after a while.

"Nah." His Goddess replied with a headshake. "Me and the other Deities had a little sit down and decided it was time Earth went back to how it used to be. It belongs equally to all races, not just the humans."

"It was like that in the past?" he mumbled.

"Mostly." She replied with a nod. "Before humanity sprung forward and spread like wildfire."

"Pushed all of you into hiding or something?" He wondered loudly as he stared into the starry sky.

"Not really. I took the Dark Elves and hid the Ashwoods from both time and place. The Dwarves retreated deep beneath their mountains. The Goblins chose to remain, but you have seen how that turned out. The High Elves live in a pocket world, free of the human influence; my sister always was a bit… extreme. We all did it because humanity was showing signs of extreme aggression and we didn't feel like fighting a war over this world." She looked thoughtful for a moment as she stared at a specific constellation. "I guess the worst one was the Dragons." His Goddess replied as she looked sadly out into the darkness.

"We still have Dragons though." Harry pointed out.

She barked a laugh in return and stared at him with dead eyes. "You've never met a real dragon. Those little lizards you've seen are Wyverns."

"What's the difference?" he asked in return, a feeling of dread in his chest.

"Dragons are the lords of Magic. Merlin, as you are so fond of speaking about, learned his arts from a Dragon. _I _learned magic from a Dragon." Harry noticed how a sudden sadness entered his Goddess eyes as she closed them. "They've left, for good. Their leader decided that this world was not worth it. I don't know where they went, but I miss them dearly."

"Dragons didn't have a god?" Harry mused.

His Goddess snorted and opened her eyes to glare at him. "Dragon's didn't need gods. Before any of the other deities and I came about, there were already Dragons. Some of them weren't all that happy that new races began popping up and decided to start a war," she looked sadly down at her pipe, as if a memory plagued her, "One of them decided that enough was enough. He betrayed them, revealed their greatest weakness to us, and then he swore that all we had to do was weaken them… if anyone was going to kill another Dragon, it would be him."

"What happened?"

Her eyes aligned with Harry's own and he saw the imminence sadness reflected within, "We went to war. Dragons, for all their might, hold a natural weakness towards the element of Lightning. The last light of creation was a lightning bolt and as such is the only thing that can pierce a dragon's hide. Through will and fortitude, we all banded together and brought the fury of creation upon them," tears began brimming in his Goddess eyes, "When they all lay there on the ground, weakened and dying, our savior stepped forward and himself tore them apart."

"So him, the last dragon, did he father the Wyverns?"

"No, not him. There were other Dragons, other's that had frowned upon the actions of their brethren, and had hidden themselves deep within the world. When the war was over, they came out of hiding and a new era begun. The Dragon's began repopulating and so did we. Eventually humankind sprung from the dark and began swarming the planet, before we knew it we were forced into hiding due to their sheer numbers. Our savior looked upon the humans and chose to take his people to a different world, far away from the corrupting influence of mankind."

Harry swallowed hard. That was a little much to take in in one day. He felt a hand grasp his shoulder and he turned and looked deeply in to crimson eyes of his Goddess. She was smiling ever so faintly.

"Sorry to saddle you with the history lesson on top of everything else you are dealing with. I promise you, when everything is over and your time comes to fulfill your duty, I'll explain everything in much greater detail. You just stick to what you are doing for now." She sounded almost worried that he'd try to actually ask deeper into the whole subject, rather than focusing on Voldemort.

Harry felt a small smile take place on his face, "I don't know what to do. Amorpha needs to be punished, Vanessa wants her dead and honestly…"

"So do you." His Goddess interrupted, making him flinch and look away. "I will allow it, you know." She said, making Harry's head flick to her at neck breaking speed, "Under a few conditions, of course."

"Of course." Harry mumbled with a grin.

"Your son has be born, he has to grow up and serve his role. Then once Amorpha has born a daughter, then that child must also come of age. Then, and only then, will I allow you to kill Amorpha." His Goddess explained.

"I'm guessing there is a good reason?"

"You son will learn of Amorpha's actions. If not through you, then through _me_. Yes, Harry, I will meet with him personally and explain if you don't. Drop the face. It will allow him to form his own opinion on it, giving his parentage, I doubt he will be pleased. The reason for the child to be born is because with the death of Amorpha a new Queen must be appointed and I have invested far too much in Amorpha's bloodline to let it die out now. So with their daughter of age she can take over and your son can guide her along for the first few decades."

"Vanessa's not going to like that she has to wait that long… hell, I'm not even sure she'll wait."

"She will."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Women's intuition?"

"You looked at the time stream, didn't you?"

"Ahh, but remember, Herald, that the future is always changing. One day it goes one way, the next another. She'll accept it, because you will give her some incentive to wait for it."

"I'm not really sure what I could offer, I love her but aside from my life? I don't think I have anything else to offer."

"You'll figure it out, just give it a good think and remember what I told you."

"I'll do that. Though there is something I've been wanting to ask."

"Fire away."

"The… power… Amorpha has over me when I'm in the castle. Is there a way to protect myself from it?"

His Goddess looked at him with sharp eyes. When she blinked, he felt as if an explosion happened inside his head and new clarity came to him.

"As my Herald you speak with my voice, my authority. Any who would speak against you, speak against me, any who would dare attempt to control you, attempts to control me. From this day onwards, I formally recognize you as my Herald, Harry James Potter, and grant you both the power and responsibility that it carries with it." The more his Goddess had spoken, the more ethereal her voice had become. At the end, Harry felt as if the voice came from the heavens themselves.

"I… I humbly accept, my Goddess." Harry replied meekly.

"For as long as you serve as my Herald, the power the Queen of the Dark Elves shall hold no sway over your mind nor body. If you go there, you shall be in complete control and any action you take will be sanctioned by me," Harry felt a lump form in his throat, "But please, don't kill Amorpha before the next Queen is born. The paperwork for that alone will kill me…"

Just like that, all the tension was gone and Harry laughed along with Goddess. They both spent a few quiet moments looking out over the night sky and marveling at the view. Harry suddenly felt his smile drop a little.

"You are leaving now, aren't you?" he asked.

"I wish I could stick around longer, kiddo. But I have duties like everyone else." His Goddess replied with a smile of her own as she slowly floated into the air. Her body slowly grew and warped until the starry form appeared once again and this time Harry was sure, this was his Goddess. She waved her hand at him, he felt a warm breeze pass over his body, and he could have sworn he heard footsteps.

"**Be well, my Herald. Enjoy my little parting gift. You, of all, deserve it."**

Harrys reply was stifled as he suddenly felt a set of arms wrap around him and he was pulled into an embrace. It was as if his entire world vanished into nothing. All he felt was the warmth from the one embracing him.

"_I'm so proud of you, my little Harry…" _the voice was soft and loving, and he instantly recognized it, as another set of arms wrapped around him from the back, Harry felt tears stinging at the corner of his eyes.

"_You turned out to be a great man. Greater than we could have hoped for. We love you so much, Harry,"_ the voice was deeper and more pronounced. It too was instantly familiar to him.

"Mom… Dad…" His voice was barely audible behind the shakiness of his tone. Opening his eyes, he looked right into a set of brimming emerald eyes that matched his own, both in color and tears.

For the first time since he was a child, Harry saw his parents with his own two eyes.

"**You have three hours, my Herald. Make them count."**

He looked around for his Goddess, hoping to express his thanks, only for her to have vanished. Looking towards the sky, Harry saw the same star as before, shining slightly brighter than all the others and he felt a warm breeze blow across the roof.

"There's so much I want to tell you both…" he began.

"_We know, son," _James said, _"We've got the time. Tell us everything."_

"_Start with that fiancé of yours, what's she like?"_ Lily asked as she loosened the embrace on her son enough to look at him.

"You'll love her, mom. She's so much like aunt Annabeth…" Harry mused as he drank in the appearance of his mother.

"_I like her already."_ James exclaimed and laughed along with his wife.

**A/N: Got a little mushy there at the end. Guess I was in that kind of mood. She's a Goddess, pulling souls straight out of Heaven isn't really that hard for her. She did mention paperwork, and she will be doing some for that little stunt. But come on, Harry has dealt with some shit. Three hours with his Parents is worth the extra paperwork. **

**So yeah, the Goddess decided to intervene personally. Next time, Amorpha is in for a rude awakening when Harry returns to the castle with a message… and a warning.**

**Yes, yes that was a blatant Dark Souls reference and rip off. Sue me. I love Dark Souls.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**

**Only 3 more planned Chapters left.**


	32. Chapter 32

The Dark Elves had been hidden away in the Ashwoods for so long that most of them had forgotten what "different" looked like. They had gotten used to the world around them, shaped and controlled by their Queen, that had remained the same for millennia. So many heads turned skyward as they witnessed an emerald lightning bolt streaking across the sky towards the Royal Castle.

The scarce few of them that were deeply attuned to the magic around them felt the imminence presence within, and they all recognized the Staff of the Royal house, letting them know that the Herald was returning to the Ashwoods.

Within said emerald lightning, Harry was trying to gather his thoughts. He knew what he was here to do, and he had full faith in his Goddess about the protection that he had been given. What bothered him was what he had to do. Sighing to himself, Harry slowed himself down even further, wishing more time before he had to stand in front of a full court of Noble Dark Elves.

'_I need to make some sort of impact when I enter, assert myself as the Herald, not just as the Queens toy'_ he thought as he saw the Castle off in the distance.

"_**I'll handle that, my Herald.**__"_ The familiar voice of his Goddess rang through his mind.

'_Thank you, my Goddess.'_ Harry thought with a smile. When there was no reply he blinked in confusion before a grin spread over his features. _'Can't stick around all the time, she's got other things to do. Right.'_ It reminded him a little of all those years ago on the train when he had gotten Dumbledore on a Chocolate Frog Card.

He had never told anyone, but he had kept the card. Before they were returned to life, it sat in his office next to the picture of his parents. It served as a reminder of simpler times. He could even have sworn that he saw Dumbledore back in his frame every so often. Maybe he had been visiting from his painting in Hogwarts.

'_Enough of the past, time to focus on here and now.'_ Harry chastised himself as the castle grew ever closer. He was thankful that he had been able to come to an agreement with Vanessa about all of this. The memory made him frown a little; finding her yesterday had been… an adventure.

**\- Flashback -**

Harry had been looking for Vanessa since yesterday night. From what the girls in the dorm had told him, she had returned early in the morning and only slept a few hours before waking up and vanishing again. She had not been to breakfast or lunch, and around three in the afternoon, he grew worried.

He'd tried all her favorite spots and even checked the room of requirement, just in case, but he hadn't found her. With a great sigh, he pulled Thymea from its holster and cast a silent tracking charm. The small silvery light flowed towards a deep part of the forest, the part, Harry recalled, that the Centaurs inhabited.

"This could be bad…" Harry mused. He hadn't met Firenze, and he wasn't exactly sure how the Centaur clans were at the moment.

Vanishing in a bolt of emerald, Harry appeared at the very border of their territory and waited. He needn't wait long as the sound of hooves echoed through the forest and three Centaurs came into the clearing and looked him over.

Harry bowed and spoke, "I'm Harry James Potter, I'm looking for Firenze."

"Why," Growled the middle centaur, "does a human seek one of our Star-gazers?"

"I've reason to believe that someone close to me may have gotten lost in your territory, I wish to retrieve her before an incident could occur." Harry replied, still bowing.

"Raise you head, young one." The one to the left, the oldest looking of the three, announced as he stepped forward. "I smell Dark Elven magic upon you. I heard whispers that the Heralds were being gathered, but I didn't believe it."

Harry did as asked and looked over the centaur. He had long white hair that flowed down to his back, and a small white goatee that matched Sirius' to a tee.

"Apologies for my forwardness, but how does a centaur know of the Dark Elven Herald?" Harry inquired.

The centaur smiled warmly and walked closer to him. When they were barely a meter apart, the centaur spoke again.

"I am Pherus, elder of the centaurs living here in forest. I am also so much more. You should be able to see me for what I really am, Harry Potter, you have, after all, met one like me recently." Pherus explained with a grandfatherly smile and then took a few steps backwards.

Harry's face scrunched up and eyebrows sunk a little in thought. Reach out with his magic, Harry tried to feel Pherus, rather than see him. He suddenly felt at peace, so much more than he had ever done in his life before. Every thought he had was clear as day and for just a moment, he came upon the answer to one of his problems.

Without a seconds hesitation, Harry dropped to a knee and bowed his head deep once again. "My apologies for not recognizing you."

Pherus laughed long and deep and Harry felt his own mood lift.

"You worry for nothing, Harry," Pherus began as he reached down and helped the young man stand up, "I have never been one for formality. Why else would I be here, among my people, hidden as one of them?"

"My lord!" Hissed the last centaur, a female with short black hair, "is it wise to reveal yourself to this… this human?!"

"Erycin!" growled the first centaur, a male with deep brown hair that reached the middle of his back, "Watch how you speak!"

The female, Erycin, quickly brought a hand to her mouth and bowed her head in apology.

"Children, enough." Pherus declared, "Harry is a Herald for the Dark Elven Goddess, much like young Calvin is for me."

"He's nothing like Calvin!" Declared Erycin before suddenly growing beet red and hiding her face in her hands.

Pherus roared with laughter once more as he walked around and stood next to Harry, a hand on the young Herald's shoulder, "Come, Harry, I shall take you to whom you seek. She resides in our village, one of our trackers found her deep within that foul acromentula's territory."

"Acromentula?" Harry said before he could stop himself, "You mean Aragog?"

Pherus gave him a nod as they began walking deeper into the forest, "Indeed, that is the creature's name. He has been growing much too bold for my liking. Encroaching on our lands and killing our livestock."

"Can't you stop him?" Harry inquired, a little puzzled how a god couldn't stop a simple acromentula, okay, Aragog might not be your _average_ acromentula. However, he was blind, old and near deaths door anyway.

"As much as I wish I could put a torch to his lair, I am not allowed to interfere directly with my people's wars. If the council agrees to finally stop him, I shall lead the charge myself, but until then… I must merely observe." Pherus explained.

"I suppose the same rule applies to my Goddess?"

"Not quite, young Herald." Pherus began, "Your Goddess may not interfere in this domain freely, such was the agreement we all came to many eons ago. But within her domain, within the Ashwoods, she may do as she sees fit."

"Ah… thank you for sharing all of this." Harry muttered with a nod.

"Why of course. You have to work with young Calvin in the future after all, can't hurt to give you a bit of knowledge beforehand." Pherus replied with a deep laugh.

"If I may," Harry said, "Why is it that when I'm around you I feel so much more…"

"Clear?" Pheurs intoned, and upon Harry's nod continued, "I price knowledge and peace above all other things, young Herald. Being around beings like myself has always had a… affect… on you humans. I cannot explain it clearly, but think of it as my presence blocking out a lot of the static your thoughts produce in the everyday life."

"I see…" Harry mumbled as he looked pensive.

They trudged for what felt like an hour before they came to the mentioned village. It was quite the sight for Harry, he had never been here in the past and thought the architecture of the centaurs was breathtaking. However much of it was created from wood and stone, it all still held a sense of… grandness… despite nothing here reaching taller than the crown of a tree.

"Come, your young friend awaits us in my home." Pherus said as he nudged Harry towards one of the smaller huts in the village.

Following Pherus inside, Harry felt a fantastic aroma enter his nose as he saw a small fire with a pot above it, a small stew simmering inside.

"Please, join me for dinner." Pherus said as he gestured to a free chair, with Vanessa sitting in the one next to it.

"Vanessa…" Harry said as he approached.

"Hey…" she didn't sound happy, in fact she sounded more broken than he had heard in a long time.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you last night… I had a… experience…" Harry mumbled, not sure how to explain himself quite yet.

"It's okay," she replied with a shrug, "I probably wouldn't have listened to anything you said yesterday anyway."

"And you will now?" He tried with a bit of hope.

"I'll at least try…" she replied with an uneven smile as she gestured to the stool next to her.

Harry took the seat and then sucked in a deep breath as stared into the fire for a moment, a plan forming in his head.

"Explaining it all will take… forever… how about I show you?"

"Legilimency?"

"Just like we used to do…"

"Okay."

Harry focused and reached out with his mind, feeling it connect with Vanessa. She offered no resistance and freely allowed him access to every part of her mind, a showing of just how much she truly trusted him. Finding the memory of his meeting, Harry pushed forward and allowed Vanessa to view it all. As it played through, Harry himself got lost in it and ended up showing Vanessa the meeting with his parents as well.

"Oh, Harry." She said quietly as she pulled him into an embrace.

"Yeah… it was amazing seeing them again," Harry mumbled into Vanessa's shoulder, "Dad likes you…"

Vanessa snorted, "Your mom seems amazing."

"She is."

"So what are you going to do, about all of this?" Vanessa asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I didn't know, at least not until I met Pherus," mentioned centaur-god was pouring three bowels of stew whilst whistling wistfully to himself, "I'm going to go back to the Ashwoods," Harry held up a finger to stall Vanessa's reply, "You saw what my Goddess did, I'll be safe. I'll go there and tell Amorpha how things are going to go. We'll keep our son until he turns eleven, at which point he will be hers to train. Thus I fulfill my side of the bargain and this is where the genius come into it."

"You are going to "invite" our son to Hogwarts," Vanessa interjected with a glint in her eyes, "and because Amorpha can't deny you as the Herald… we can still raise our son and teach him over the year at Hogwarts. We only have to send him back during the summer, and there is a limit to how much damage that cow can do in such a small time."

"I guess this means we are going to be working at Hogwarts?" Harry mused with a grin.

"Well clearly, I'm not leaving our son in that madhouse without me around. I'm sure I could convince Filius to let me take over Ravenclaw. You could even try for Headmaster." Vanessa replied with a smile of her own.

"I'm sure Dumbledore would love that. So… you're okay with this? It's not ideal, I know, but at least this way… this way we can spend some time with him."

"I still want her dead, you know."

"And she will die, don't you worry about that."

Vanessa actually jumped a little at the harshness of Harry's tone. She had heard it like that before, it was usually reserved for when he spoke about people he hated with almost his entire being.

"How?" she asked.

"You heard my Goddess. Once Amorpha has given birth to the next Queen and she comes of age, Amorpha is no longer pivotal to the Dark Elves and she is, as we say, fair game." Harry explained with a devious grin.

"Oh this is going to be so much fun…" Vanessa muttered before breaking out into a cackle.

A small cough stopped her before she went full mad scientist. Pherus stood next to them, a bowl of stew in each hand, and looked at them with knowing eyes.

"Revenge plots can be made after dinner. Now please, I've been looking for a chance to ask some more questions about mankind. Calvin his been… less than helpful, with some of my questions."

"Fire away," Vanessa declared as she took a spoonful of the stew.

"Excelent! Let's start with something simple…" Pherus seemed to turn all too sirius for a moment, "Now, what excactly is the function of a rubber duck?"

Harry had trouble keeping in the stew and not choking to death on his own laughter.

**\- Flashback End -**

'_Two gods in two days… I'm not sure if it's an omen or just fate messing with me' _Harry mused as the castle was barely a minute out.

He'd be landing inside the throne room and then he would address whoever was gathered there. His experience was limited, but it should be Amorpha and a few of her Nobles.

Taking a breath, Harry steadied himself as he crashed against the wards of the castle. Only for them to part at a seconds notice and allow him passage directly into the throne room. He couldn't see the reactions around him due to the light of the lighting still subsiding, but from the majority of gasps and exclamations of surprise, he made a decent entrance.

"Oh my, Harry you re…" Amorpha stopped speaking as the light finally dimmed enough for her to get a full visual of him.

Harry saw his Queen's expression and allowed himself a small glance down unto his form. He was wearing a set of armor darker than the void itself, it was shaped very much too like the same armor that the Obsidian Guard would be wearing. Across the chest of the armor, a mighty dragon was roaring and it was painted in a magnificent crimson color that matched the eyes of his Goddess.

'_That certainly makes an impact'_ Harry mused with a private smile.

"_**I know. I'm awesome."**_ Harry chuckled at his Goddess words, sure that only he was able to hear her at the moment.

"Lord Herald, what an unexpected surprise." Amorpha said as she made to rise from her throne, but her found her body unwilling to stand.

"Don't bother." Harry stated, "I don't need you to stand, I only need you to listen." A quick glance around the room let Harry know that at least 25 different Nobles were here, and each of them seemed to be of decently high standing within the system.

"To those who might be in doubt, I am Harry James Potter. Herald of our Goddess and future father of the King!" this sent a ripple through the crowed, some recognizing him, some not. "I come today so that you may all understand what you have brought upon yourselves."

"Harry, what do you mea…" Amorpha's voice chocked as she suddenly realized just why the armor looked familiar to her. '_That's the symbol of the first house!' _she thought frantically as the Dragon on Harry's chest seemed to glow, and an understanding rose in Amorpha's chest.

Harry, for his part, was watching in fascination as Amorpha's skin began turning ashen, as if she was suddenly becoming afraid. No scratch that, he could practically smell her fear from here.

"Seize your worrying, Amorpha." Harry growled, "You won't die, not today. No there has been enough chaos." Amorpha seemed to relax a little, at least until Harry turned his gaze upon her again. "Years ago we struck a deal, Amorpha. For my staff you would have my son to take as your king and father of your daughter. I am here to inform you of the terms of that deal." Amorpha swallowed hard, this didn't sound good. "My son will stay with me and my wife until his eleventh birthday. On that day he will be brought here and you can begin your training. But hear my words this instant, Amorpha, if I hear from him just a breath that you have attempted to force yourself upon him in any manner, then the Goddess protect you for I will rip you limp from limp and leave only what is needed behind of you!"

Harry then turned around and looked out over the assembled court, "To you, noble members of this court, I issue a warning! From this day forward I am denouncing the Dark Elves and revoking their passage out into the greater world!" a collective breath was drawn from everyone, "If you wish to leave the Ashwoods for any reason, you will call upon the Dark Elf Drulel, if he approves of your reason for leaving, then you may do so with my blessing. If any of you should be as foolish as to attempt to leave by force… the consequences will be dire."

"Finally, as for your punishment for what you did to my future bride," Harry's eyes rounded on Amorpha one last time and the Queen wished she could sink into her throne and vanish. "Within my son you shall find your punishment, and when the time comes, I can only hope that you will truly understand just what foolishness you performed to bring it upon yourself. I have said my piece, is there any here gathered today that would refute me?" Harry turned and glared out over the assembled nobles and saw that more than a few of them looked like they wanted to, only for some of their fellow nobles to hold them back.

"As I suspected. This shall be the last time I step foot in the Ashwoods until my son is to be brought. If I find any of you have broken any of my decrees… well… you are welcome to try and see for yourself." With those words, Harry vanished in emerald lighting. Leaving behind a terrified Queen and infuriated nobles.

Amorpha for her part realized just what deep shit she was truly in. Harry had spoken to their Goddess, something that hadn't happened since she took the throne! More so, with him now having the full authority of a Herald, there was nothing she could do but obey his commands, lest she face punished directly from the Goddess herself.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

Harry appeared back at Hogwarts within the room of requirement. It was shaped out to look like his old apartment from before Hermione went and blew it up.

'_Still haven't paid her back for that yet… hmm'_ Harry grumbled within his mind as he began heading towards his bedroom. He wasn't that angry, not really, but that apartment had cost him a pretty penny and honestly he was still a little miffed at Granger for being so annoying this time around. Then again, she might have been like that before as well, but he hadn't had any friends back then so he would have taken just about anyone. Except Draco, never Draco.

Opening the door, he saw someone in his bed and he felt his mind relaxing. The sight of his lover and best friend lying where she used to, calmed him immensely.

"Hey there…" he whispered as he climbed into the bed only to realize two things. One, Vanessa was for some reason a little taller than him, and two, she was quite naked.

"Hey yourself… I figured we could enjoy a night as our self for once, and not as kids…" her voice was blurry, but she was clearly waking up.

Harry couldn't keep the grin of his face as he cast the aging spell upon himself once again and then vanished all his clothes before pulling Vanessa close to him.

"I've missed this…" he breathed into her hair with a content sigh.

"Me too…" she replied as she snuggled into his neck.

They laid there and just enjoyed each other's company for what felt like hours until Harry felt Vanessa moving about a little. He suddenly felt a familiar hand sneaking over his chest, heading a direction that made him grin.

"You do know I'm not letting you sleep tonight, right?" Vanessa purred and Harry found himself grinning like a loon. This was going to hurt tomorrow, but he didn't care.

**A/N: More gods, more info. Dark Elves are dealt with for now. That leaves only Voldemort… until everything can become somewhat peaceful. So yeah, that was it for this time around.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**

**2 more planned chapters left.**


	33. Chapter 33

The last few months had been… quiet. Without Amorpha looming over his head, and more room to maneuver with regards to Voldemort, Harry finally felt as if he might be able to come out on top of this a little sooner than he had anticipated.

Of course, this would all have to fall in line with actually being able to find the rutty bastard. So far he had spent many a long evening talking with Dumbledore, both of them thinking up one grand scheme after the next to try and either find or lure Voldemort out. Each of them was utterly useless as they required way too many resources to be a viable course of action.

Vanessa had tried her own unique ways of helping. With a little prodding into Harry's memories regarding Voldemort from their past, she began pulling in old contacts that she knew would still be active this early in their years. With a little help from Annabeth, she even managed to make most of it look pretty legit, just in case one of her more… eccentric… contacts decided to dig a little into their newest customer.

She'd hadn't come up with anything either. At most she had heard whispers of a wraith in Romania, but the same could be said for a dozen other countries were Wraiths were known to appear. As it turns out, looking for one specific wraith, when you don't even know if the individual still _is_ a wraith, was quite the challenge.

Asking Annabeth about the MDA getting involved hadn't helped either.

"We can't get mixed in just over something as simple as a wraith or homunculi body, even if it is supposed to be Voldemort. Until we have undeniable proof that he is going to be back, and that he has intentions of setting his sights further than just Britain, we can't do anything that might break the ICW Treaty."

Annabeth had told them this and they knew it made sense. Annoyingly enough. So Harry had stuck his nose back into the old ritual books he could get his hands on, even interrupting Sirius in his attempts to free Bellatrix after learning about the letter, to look into the Black Library. That is where he was currently sitting, a book about blood rituals in his lap, and an annoyed expression etched unto his features.

"Who made up a ritual using 17 goat hearts?" he grumbled sullenly as he turned the page. Half of these rituals were more gore-porn than actual useful rituals. Honestly, he wasn't even sure what some of them were for, despite the description attached.

Closing the book and tossing it over his shoulder, Harry sunk into the large chair and just breathed for a moment. Vanessa was back at Hogwarts, she was spending more time with Professor Flitwick these days, working on her preparations to become a Charms Mistress. She had, and Harry quotes,"unprecedented talent for the art," as said by Flitwick himself.

"You seem a bit down there, pup." Sirius waltzed into the room. He didn't look much better than Harry to be honest, but at the least he didn't look as bad as he had after coming out of Azkaban.

"How would you track down a Homunculi body?" Harry asked from behind closed eyes.

"Really depends on if you have anything of the ritual that made it to begin with," Sirius began as he sat a cup of coffee on the table next to his godson, "If I didn't have that? I guess I would start looking into some broader search rituals, specifically targeting the magical signature of the Homunculi, but given we are talking about Voldemort, he has probably shielded himself against that."

"I'm out of tracking spells, I've gone through every major ritual in these books, and nothing is getting me any closer to figuring out how to find Voldemort." Harry mumbled as he took the cup with a grateful nod and took a swig.

"How about the one helping him? Crouch Jr, wasn't it?" Sirius suggested.

"I've thought about it, but I don't know his magical signature, and are you honestly telling me that you want to deal with the clusterfuck of politics that is going to come forward if it is revealed that he is alive?" Harry countered.

"No, no I don't. Then I have to say I'm fresh out of ideas," Sirius sighed deeply as he took a swig of his own coffee, "I've been trying to get Bella out of Azkaban through some sort of legal loophole, but I haven't been able to find anything that couldn't be thrown right back into my face."

"Breech of Marriage Contract with the LeStrange house?" Harry offered as he straightened himself a little.

"Then what? She becomes a Black again and yes, I will be her head of house, but I can't just pull her out of Azkaban for that reason alone." Sirius lamented.

"Well… isn't there something like parole for Azkaban? You know, you served so many years and now you get a chance to assimilate into the real world again."

"You really think anyone in the Wizengamot would buy that?"

"For the right price, maybe. I mean, do you have anything to use that overflowing vault of yours in Gringotts for? Bribe Fudge to high heaven and make him release her into your custody, the Department of Mysteries still have those magical suppressor cuffs don't they? Slap those on her and tadaa, she's as tame as a kitten."

"More like a mountain lion…" Sirius grumbled as he thought over the idea, "It might work… Fudge is greedy enough for it. I'm just not sure, accepting that everything they have ever done was to protect me… it's a bit much."

"Well that's your problem somewhat solved… now what about mine?" Harry mused as he picked up another book and began lazily flipping through it.

"Let me check the master bedroom, dad always kept a few of his favorite books locked away in there. One might help."

"Thank you, Sirius."

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

Aside from revealing to both males just how disturbed the Black Family was over the past, it really didn't help them all that much. It gave them a few suggestions as to what other books to look into, but in the end it all became a bust. Every ritual they found required them to have some sort of way of homing in on Voldemort, and they just didn't have it.

Presently he found himself sitting in the Ravenclaw Common room as he prepared himself for his exams. Honestly he didn't care that much about them, not this time anyway. If he could just get rid of Voldemort, then sure, he would throw himself into the books and see just how many records he could break in the Academic achievements. Until then though…

"Oh this is so boring…" Harry grumbled as he closed his Transfiguration's book.

"Some Ravenclaw you are…" Vanessa mused across from him.

"Bite me…"

"Still no luck?"

"The bastard is slippery. I'm going to speak with Dumbledore again tonight, if this doesn't work… I don't know what I'll do. I'm not waiting for him to his body back, I'm not giving him that chance. No way in hell."

"I'm sure you will find a way. Until you do, however, I suggest you open that book again and keep reading."

"Yes ma'am…"

Harry did as asked and kept his head in his schoolbooks until dinner came around. He looked like he was dragging his own corpse with the way his was slouching. He didn't eat much, truthfully he never did, but even tonight it seemed a little extreme.

It was starting to worry Vanessa more than a little. She'd only ever seen him like this once before, and that time it had taken one hell of a shock to make him come out of it again. She just hoped she didn't have to resort to something as drastic again. Hopefully, Dumbledore would be able to help him tonight with solving their Voldemort problem. Once that bastard was finally dead… well… Hogwarts was a pretty cool school, she could actually see some merit in making good on her idea about working here.

Dinner was woefully uneventful, Harry had his head focused on his upcoming meeting with Dumbledore, and Vanessa was reading an advanced Charms book that Flitwick had given to her some weeks prior. A few of their housemates did try and talk with them, but in either case it didn't exactly help any. Vanessa ignored them or at least spared them a glance and nod/headshake, Harry just outright ignored everyone. It seemed as if he didn't even register the question that would be directed to him.

"Good evening, Harry." Dumbledore greeted his younger friend. "From the look you have been carrying since breakfast, I can only assume that your search hasn't proved fruitful?"

Harry grumbled something in response before planting himself in a free chair.

"I can't believe that one homunculi body can be that difficult to find!" Harry moaned as he sunk deeper in to the chair.

"Hmm… well yes, all credit where it is due, Tom isn't exactly a novice," Dumbledore mused in response as he began rummaging through his table.

"I know he isn't, but god damnit. He has effectively hidden himself from every bloody spell since Merlin still walked around!" Harry lamented as he finally saw how determined Dumbledore was in his search, "What are you looking for, Albus?"

"This," Dumbledore replied as he lifted a small leather bound book from his table, "I wanted your opinion on it. It's not quite finished, but I like what I've gathered so far."

Accepting the book with a nod, Harry read over the title before looking up into the eyes of Dumbledore, they seemed so much older all of a sudden. Flipping open to the first few pages, Harry quickly skimmed through some parts of it and found himself intrigued.

"How long?" Harry asked without lifting his head from the book.

A mild chuckle escaped Dumbledore as he looked over Harry, "Humorous. Filius asked me the exact same thing. I have some 16-17 years left before my next great adventure."

"I take it there is more to this, than just showing me your life's work?" Harry inquired as he finally placed the book, reluctantly, back on the table.

"I wanted to ask for your permission, Harry."

"My permission? For what?"

"To include yourself and Vanessa in my work. I can feel that you two will have much more to say in our world than anyone thinks…"

"And?"

"And… I might, by chance, have wanted to ask you a favor."

Harry chuckled before grinning at his Headmaster, "Sure, if it is within my power."

"Oh, so quite a bit then?" The two shared a friendly laugh over that one, "No, Harry. I wanted to ask you if you would consider taking over Hogwarts when I pass on."

Dumbledore didn't miss the way Harry's eyes widened, nor the way his jaw dropped slightly. The laugh surprised him a little though, he had perhaps not expected a laugh.

"You and Vanessa… sometime I swear you must swap ideas. She suggested the exact same thing not so long ago."

"Indeed? Well, great minds do think alike they say."

"Just don't tell her that, it will get to her head."

"So will you think about it?"

Harry sighed overdramatically, "Ahh yes, I think I will. If Vanessa has plans to overtake Ravenclaw, I suppose I must be here to ensure she doesn't overtake the rest of the castle."

"Oh ho?" Dumbledore mused, "Vanessa has her eyes on Filius position, does she?"

"She's talked about it at least."

"Now there's a successor I'm sure Filius would love. Honestly, if this old man may stroke his own ego for a moment, I do honestly think that when I do pass on, Filius will endeavor to quit teaching."

"Yes, that wouldn't surprise me. But what about Professor McGonagall?"

"Hah! Old Minerva would rather choke me with my own beard before she takes my job. No sir, she is very comfortable in her position as Deputy Headmistress."

"Think I can convince her to stay on, if I take over?"

"My boy, I think you will have to fight her if you wanted otherwise."

The two shared a laugh at the image. Yes indeed, McGonagall would probably end up working at Hogwarts until the day she either couldn't swing a wand, or couldn't move. Until then, she'd be stalking the halls, inducing fear and respect into the students.

"That, of course, leads us back to my problem." Harry began, "Unless you have some hidden ritual or spell up your sleeve, then I'm not really sure what we can do to find Tom."

"Then perhaps," Dumbledore said, "We simply wait for him to resurrect? By all accounts that would give us an ample opportunity to get to him, and we would have no issue with locating him."

"No." Harry stated harshly, "I'm not giving that bastard a chance at regaining his body. And you are forgetting something, Albus. For all of this to happen, I have to be in the tournament once again, and I do think that we both know that you are going to be putting up much stronger protections this time around, aren't you?"

"Of course," Dumbledore declared, "That does however bring us back to zero. I'm afraid that I can't see another way for us to find him. With his servants constantly moving him, and us not knowing exactly which servant, we simply do not have the means to locate him."

"Argh… if only we knew where that bastard was going to be! Then we could set up a trap…"

"That's exactly it!" Dumbledore declared, "We do know where he is going to be! Oh Harry my boy, why didn't we see this sooner?"

"Wha… The Gaunt Mansion… he hides there for the entirety of the tournament, in preparation for the ritual… oh I'm an idiot!" Harry groaned as he slammed his head against the desk.

"Often we look for the most complicated solutions, because we feel the simplest simply cannot be true." Dumbledore muttered, "Though now we have a position, the question remains how we are to proceed."

"I'll ward it," Harry muttered from the table, "I'll ward it until nothing can step into that mansion without me knowing about it. Then, as soon as I feel Tom stepping foot there, I'll go there and finish the job. No more beating around the bush, no more waiting, I'll kill him then and there."

"What of Nagini?"

"If it's been made into a Horcrux you mean? I'll think of something."

"I suspect you wish to do so as soon as possible, the warding, I mean."

"I'll do it tomorrow, it's a day off anyway."

"Now as for what I asked earlier, I realize that you might want some time to consider it, but I still wish to extend a different offer all the same."

"I'm listening."

"I wish for you to become my apprentice. It would mean that you would spend the majority of your summer with me, rather than with Sirius, where I would teach you everything I know, as well as groom you for the position of Headmaster, should you wish to take it."

"You apprentice?" Harry muttered. He'd never actually thought about it. Sure, the thought of becoming Hogwarts Headmaster was intriguing, and would allow him some extra leeway when it came to inviting the first Dark Elven children to the school… perhaps he needed to speak with Pherus and his Herald, Calvin. Maybe they would work together and get the first Centaur students into Hogwarts as well.

"You know what, Albus… I actually like that idea. I do have one question though."

"Yes?"

"How do you know that you are going to die in 17 years?"

"Fawkes. Phoenixes are and the humans they chose to bond with share a special link through their life. The Phoenix will know when their chosen partner is nearing their end, this way the Phoenix can prepare for its own death as well."

"Oh… so Fawkes will die with you?"

"Indeed. He shall accompany me unto the next great adventure, and I can only say I'm looking forward to taking the trip with him."

"I see…" Harry looked a little stumped for a moment, before a smile grew in his place and he rose from his chair. "Well, Albus, I think I have had enough for one night. I'll go to bed, and tomorrow I'll see to the warding of the manor."

"I quite agree with you. These old bones can't carry me as long as they used to."

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

The next night, Harry stood before the Gaunt Manor, a revolted look on his features. Even now the manor brought back dark memories, and honestly, he would much rather simply blow it to pieces rather than do something that could be perceived as _protecting_ it.

"Here we go…" Harry muttered with a sigh as he withdrew Thymea and began tracing patterns through the air as words fell from his mouth.

Each time the wand passed by his chest, a slither of light broke from the tip of the wand and began making its way towards the ancient manor. As the first light reached its destination, a huge dome, resembling glass more than anything else, appeared around the manor. With each slither of magic that reached the shield, a wave of energy washed over the construct, warping and changing its color and shape until all there was left was a large oval bubble.

Harry stood, waiting, as he watched the magic settle and reinforce until he was comfortable with the feeling of the ward. Yes, ward, as in _singular_.

"Six more to go…" he muttered darkly as Thymea slowly grew and extended in his hand until he held the staff in his hand.

"_Exaudi me Domine spiritus hos regit terras. __Da mihi virtutem continendi focus ut aegre ab his qui quaerunt._" The ancient incantation rose from deep within Harry's memory, it was one of the few things he had learned to protect his home once he had escaped the wizarding world. Though incantations drained more of your core, and strained you beyond recommendable levels, Harry didn't mind.

A jet of silver streamed from the head of Thymea and washed over the already existing ward, making the entire thing glow a dim silver in this dark night. Had it not been for the latent magic in the air, hiding his actions from the view of Muggles, Harry might have been concerned.

Harry collapsed to his knees, vomit erupting from deep within him as his magical core strained to keep up with the ancient protection. A few dry heaves later, Harry withdrew a potion from his pocket and downed the content, feeling the rejuvenating effects taking hold.

"Five more…" he growled as he lifted Thymea high into the sky and muttered his spell. A crimson lightning bolt rose from his wand and shot towards the sky, only to curve and arc downwards towards the ward atop the manor. The entire ward vibrated and something like a beast roaring sounded through the area.

"Four more."

Though it was only four more spells, each one drained him further and further. As the final spell was cast, Harry collapsed onto the ground, his breathing slowing down by the second as his lungs began giving out and his body began shutting down to protect itself. The last thing Harry registered before his world went dark was the sound of a Phoenix crying and a drop of something landing against his cheek.

* * *

**A/N: Well… that's really it isn't it? Just one more chapter left, however long or shot it will be, chapter 34 will be the last chapter of this story. There will be an epilogue, far is it for me to not follow the proud tradition to try to match the awfulness that is the original "19 years later" epilogue. All credit to J.K, she's an amazing author, but what the hell was that?**

**Well… expect the last chapter to be out sometime around Sunday/Monday. Final thoughts and thank you's will be given in the last Author's note.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**


	34. Chapter 34 - Finale

Harry had woken up in darkness. The only light he detected was the vague flickering from a candle somewhere in the room. The smell alone told him that he was in the infirmary. Well… it only took him three years to end up here this time, new personal best.

"Fuck…" he growled. Sitting up was painful, a quick inspection of his own body revealed why. He wasn't covered in bandages, but the smell of ointment clung to him like a cloak. He felt weaker than he should, and from what he could feel, his core was trying to regrow itself from the stunt he pulled.

"Detection, Protection, Disabling, Nullifying, Anti-Apparation, Anti-Portkey and finally Intent. Those last four might have been overdoing it." He muttered to himself. All seven wards, combined together, formed the strongest protection he could perform. No one would enter the Mansion without him knowing, and no one was leaving without his say so either. Right now, all but the Detection and Intent wards were disabled; he would only activate the rest once his pray had entered the trap.

Moving himself so he was sitting against the bedhead, Harry looked around and found himself smiling. Vanessa was sitting in a chair next to his bed, sleeping, and the faint trace of Dumbledore's magic was in the air.

"_Tempus_" he whispered and watched as the numbers floated above his finger, "_Wandless Magic, gotta love it._" He muttered until he saw the date displayed, _"Shit… I've been out five days?_"

Sneaking out of the Medical Wing was a feat in and of itself, but doing it without alert Vanessa as well? Damn, he should be getting a medal for this. Opting for silent apparition (little known fact, one cannot apparate out of or into Hogwarts wards, but apparating around _inside_ the ward? Perfectly possible.), rather than violent emerald lighting, Harry appeared at the roof of Hogwarts and sucked in a huge breath.

"My Goddess, your humble servant asks for your wisdom."

"_**You don't need to pray, Harry. I'm never far from you."**_ The voice entered his mind and Harry smiled.

"I wanted to thank you. You called Fawkes to me after I exhausted myself with the warding, didn't you?"

"_**You shouldn't have strained your core so far,"**_ to Harry's surprise, she did actually sound quite disappointed, _**"You are strong, and having Thymea and being my Herald does make you stronger… You are still only human, Harry. Never mind that you used an ancient Incantation to produce that Protection Ward, but **_**six**_** wards more on top of that? If I hadn't stepped in, you would have ended up in a coma."**_

"I think I knew that… but standing there, realizing that if this failed, I would have to use even more time finding him? I couldn't do it, I had to make sure I got him this time."

"_**You will, but for my sake, Harry, don't do something so foolish again. Next time, Fawkes might not make it in time to save you."**_

"I promise. Thank you again for saving me."

"_**You are my Herald, I will never let harm come upon you if I can stop it. Now go sleep, Harry. Your love wants words with you when you wake up."**_

"She's going to kill me."

All he heard was a faint laughing in the night and for a moment the stars flickered in tune with it. Shaking his head, Harry apparated back into the infirmary and went back to bed.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

Vanessa sure did have words for him. She was absolutely furious with him for doing something so reckless. If it hadn't been for her constant fussing to make sure that he was, as he kept saying, fine then she would likely have sounded much more threatening. Dumbledore had come in later in the morning, an air of worry surrounding the man. Much of it had dispelled as he spoke with Harry and learned what he had done, but he too hadn't approved of straining his core to such an extreme.

"Well, at least the warding was successful." Dumbledore mused with a sigh.

"Taken a little peek, have you?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Yes, I couldn't help myself. Some powerful Wards indeed. If I may be so bold, are you sure that they will not be detected by Tom? The area is quite latent with your magic." Dumbledore replied with a slight frown.

"The last ward I cast was a ward of Intent. If I don't consider you an ally, then you won't be able to detect any of the other wards. Aside from that, I've deactivated the rest of the wards but the Detection ward. Once the trap is sprung, I'll activate the rest and make sure Tommy boy won't be able to get away." Harry explained with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Very well, I shall trust your expertise on the matter. With regards to the school, I have gotten your exams delayed for the week. We can't have you going into the exams with a still recuperating core."

"Thank you, Sir. As for your offer, both of them, I accept sir. My little… nap… gave me time to think."

Dumbledore's smile grew and for the first time since he had met him, both times, Harry saw a glimpse of the man Dumbledore must have been in his prime. The wisdom and power the flowed off his magic was simply astounding.

"Marvelous, Harry! I'll set up a schedule for this summer, we have much to introduce you to over the break. I dare say by the time your fourth year begins, you shall be leagues and scores above the rest."

"Sir," Harry began with a grin, "I already am."

"I'm doing better than you in Charms, Potions and Ancient Runes." Vanessa remarked from her position next to Harry on the bed.

"Okay… over anyone else then." Harry amended.

"Daphne Greengrass is doing better than you in Arithmancy as well as Herbology, and Neville Longbottom is doing even better than her at Herbology. To be fair, the only two classes you are "leagues and scores" ahead in are Transfiguration and DADA." Vanessa continued as she counted off on her fingers.

"Okay fine, I get it!" Harry half-yelled, "I'm slacking off because my focus is too much on Voldemort. You give me until the end of fourth year. Once I've beat that bastard, I'll trounce every old school record we have for grades…" he finished in a slight mutter.

"That's quite the declaration, Harry. I myself hold the record for Transfiguration, your father made quite the bid for it, but he fell a little short." Dumbledore mused as he stroked his long white beard with a challenging grin.

"Oh just you wait and see, Sir. I'll get my name on every plaque in that stupid display." Harry vowed.

"Well, my boy. You have a challenge ahead of you. The last person to produce such a feat was… well, I think I'll leave that as a surprise of you succeed."

Then life moved on. Harry was released from the dungeon, er Infirmary, and allowed back to his studies. A week later and he was going through his exams like butter, finding no challenge in the old material. Honestly he was mostly just going through the motions, a lot more interested in getting started on his summer and the training he would be doing under Dumbledore's tutelage.

The leaving feast was as grand as usual. Vanessa and Harry both found themselves looking forward to their turn walking down the great hall to the applause of their fellow students. Harry himself looked on the graduates with a fair bit of pride and envy. He'd never been given that chance, the war had seen to that, but now he could experience it for himself, with Vanessa at his side for an added bonus.

The night felt longer than normal, maybe it was because they were leaving come the first morning light, or maybe it was because he felt like they were running into the home stretch now. With a little luck, a no small amount of skill, they would have Voldemort dead and permanently erased before the year ends. Of course that counts on them not having any… accidents along the way.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

Summer came and with it a time of peace for Harry. He'd said goodbye to Vanessa at King's Cross, promised to see her sometime during the vacation and then he had turned on his heel and apparated to Grimmauld place. Sirius had greeted him warmly, Remus had been visiting at the time so the three wizards spent a great deal of time just talking. Mostly about his parents and the two older wizards lives.

Sirius had gotten some headway with Harry's idea about getting Bellatrix out of Azkaban, legally, at least. It had taken some grease, but Fudge would bring up the idea of a parole solution for certain inmates in Azkaban. Sirius had even given the extra push by reminded the dear Minister that he would be seen, at least among the purebloods, as the one to give them a chance to see some of their family members again.

Remus was keeping himself busy, working where he could and else he was just studying what he could find. When Harry mentioned that the position of DADA teacher would open up again in the future, Remus promised to ask Dumbledore for a second chance, regardless of what everyone was saying about him.

As it were, Harry kept an ear to the ground most the summer. Staying constantly connected to his wards so he would be alerted the instant that Voldemort found his way into the Riddle Mansion. However, to his great annoyance, throughout the summer the wards were not activated even once.

Halfway through the summer, Harry returned to Hogwarts and began his studies as Dumbledore's apprentice. There were tons of books they would look through, countless spells that Harry were to learn, and some paperwork techniques that would be his saving grace when he became Headmaster. Hell, Harry even convinced Dumbledore to let Vanessa back to Hogwarts for most of the summer. They let Filius in on their little plan and he whole-heartedly supported young Vanessa's bid for Ravenclaw Head of House, he even went as far as to offer her apprentice ship with him once she finished Hogwarts.

So this summer was perhaps one of the greatest Harry had ever experienced, and hopefully there would be many more like it in the end.

But everything comes to an end and soon enough, Harry stood with Vanessa on King's Cross once again as they waited to board the train and head off for their fourth year of Hogwarts. As the train barreled across the tracks, Harry talked about the Tournament and how he participated last time. Vanessa joked about entering herself, then showing all these wizards some real tricks. Once she heard about the Wyvern she had to fight… it curbed her enthusiasm for the idea a little.

The Sorting went as expected, a few new students for each house. Then Dumbledore rose and announced the Tournament, and the age restriction which would be placed upon it. He explained how they would be joined by Durmstrang and Boubaxtons later in the year and then they would see who would be the champions of each school.

After that… the year became awfully dull. Harry was just going through the motions, his training with Dumbledore truly putting further than his peers in terms of both practical and theoretical knowledge. The teachers, having all been informed of young Mr. Potter's apprenticeship with Dumbledore, knew that he wouldn't be paying much attention in classes. Though a few teachers, namely Filius and Minerva, took a bit of smug pride in knowing that he still listened when the two were teaching.

As the day for the two schools to arrive finally came upon them, the school was buzzing with activity. Everyone was waiting anxiously to see the two different magical schools from Europe and were wondering how they would be. Then it happened, the first few students saw the Baubaxtons carriage arrive in the sky and there was a stampede to get the "good seats" in the courtyard to witness their arrival. The Durmstrang contingent were long behind their French counterparts as their shop broke the surface of the water and docked near the school.

All of Hogwarts students were herded back into the Great Hall so they could witness the "fantastical" entrance of the other schools. Durmstrang did their dancing routine, and both Karkaroff and Krom tried their best to look intimidating. The Quidditch Cup held no interesting to Harry this year, he did know that Ireland had won again, but other than that? It had been attacked once again and it mattered so very little to Harry.

Boubaxtons had entered in their flurry of dresses, doves and feathers. Looking every bit the sophisticated school they liked to pretend they were. Harry did keep notice of Fleur, as well as some of the other students from the school. Just from looking at the oncoming students, it was clear to him that there were at least four other Veela with them on this trip.

Everyone was seated and the food appeared, it took naught more but a second after Dumbledore had announced "dig in" before everyone had full plates and were wolfing down the meal. Chatter and merrymaking rose up amongst the different tables. The Ravenclaw's were asking their part of the Boubaxton group all the questions they could think of. The two schools had been divided in half so the Boubaxton's students were split between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, and Durmstrang was split between Slytherin and Gryffindor, thus giving everyone a chance to "mingle".

Harry was enjoying the meal when he felt a prick at the back of his neck. At first he only assumed it a light buzz, or perhaps his neck was hurting, but when a second prick came, even stronger than the first, he reached out and felt against the wards on Riddle Manor. Someone, or rather three someones, had triggered them.

Before anyone had a chance to react, Harry vanished in emerald lightning and the sound of thunder rocked through the great hall as the magic pushed against the walls.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

The emerald thunderbolt slammed into the ground before the Riddle Mansion. The wards screeched and bent as the magic pushed against them and Harry swung Thymea, activating the latent wards. Voldemort was trapped. Blasting the door off its hinges, he heard the sound of someone running around upstairs, and the sound of a snake slithering on the floor.

_$Nagini, Nagini, Nagini… where are you$ _Harry sang in parseltongue, hoping to lure out the beast so he could blast it to high heaven.

_$Harry Potter…$_ the hoarse voice of Lord Voldemort sounded through the ancient mansion, beaconing Harry towards the upper floor.

The wood creaked and complained under the young wizards weight. It would not be many years until this place would come crumbling apart, whatever it be by the hands of men or time. The faint trace of another magical presence lingered in the air, alerting Harry to their presence.

'_Crouch Jr…'_ he summarized as he held up Thymea, ready to dispatch the annoying wizard as soon as he saw him.

The memory of his fourth year guiding him, Harry soon came upon the room which he remembered. The door stood ajar, and through it he saw the chair in which the small form of Voldemorts homunculi body would sit. He would imagine that Crouch jr. couldn't be far behind.

_$Come in, Harry… we have so much to discuss…$_

Scoffing to himself, Harry waved his wand and the door to the room exploded off its hinges and flew to the side of the room. He heard the sound of someone screaming and then going silent. Carefully entering the room, Harry saw the still form of Bartemius Crouch Jr. lying underneath the door, neck at a funny angle and quite clearly dead.

"Pity…" Harry drawled as he gestured towards the still form.

Finally, he saw it once more, the disgusting charred body of Voldemort. It wasn't bigger than an infant, but still horribly disfigured, had it not been for the red gleaming eyes, Harry wouldn't even have believed that this little thing could be Voldemort. And those red eyes were shining with hatred.

_$Crouch was a faithful servant… you shall pay for this, Potter!$_ Voldemort roared and just as he finished, Nagini sprang from behind the large chair.

Harry dodged almost effortlessly to the side and lifted Thymea for all but a second before slamming it back down, impaling it upon the tip of Nagini's body, making the huge snake hiss in pain. Twisting himself slightly, Harry pushed Thymea deeper into the floor and then leveled the head of the staff towards Nagini's own.

"_**Interitum… Anima!**_" Harry yelled and just for a second all sound vanished inside the old mansion. The only sound to be heard was a horrifying screech, as if the dead were being forced out of the underworld. A deep black orb flew from the staff and traveled, almost painfully slow, towards the still snake. Just a few inches from the beast, the orb opened up and seemingly swallowed the beast entirely.

A thump sounded through the room as the orb vanished, leaving only the small portion of the tail that Thymea had been stuck in lying helplessly on the floor.

Interitum Anima, the spell to destroy a soul. The last spell in the book of the Dark Elven Queens, the spell that was only to be used as an absolute last resort. It tore the target's very being apart, twisting and turning it until it was sent, screaming and kicking, to endless oblivion.

_$Nagini! NO!$_ Voldemort roared as his tiny form attempted to move.

"Shut up." Harry commanded as he rounded upon the homunculi form. "You have been such a pain, Voldemort, for these past four years. Now I finally have you where I want you, and wouldn't you know it… I want to gloat a little."

_$Do what you will. I have achieved Immortality. Strike me down, Potter, and I shall rise again$_

"You mean your Horcruxes, like Nagini there was?" The extreme way the homunculi body's eyes widened was almost comical, "Oh yes, Tommy boy. I know about them. They are all gone, Nagini was the last piece of the puzzle."

_$Impossible!$_

"Not quite…" Harry stated with a shrug, "But you really were the annoyance that just wouldn't go away. Even when I died, you were still a problem for me."

Voldemort looked confused at Harry, and the younger wizard chuckled darkly.

"I die, only to wake up within the Afterlife and get told that because I didn't kill you entirely, but rather condemned you to forever have your soul locked within a rock at the bottom of the ocean, I was being sent back… back to correct my mistake. You." Harry's features darkened as he stalked closer to the chair and kicked it over, sending Voldemort tumbling to the ground.

"I can't even begin to tell you how much shit I have had to endure on this little second trip around the bend. I have had to deal with Gods, psychopathic Queens, changed events and what else would you know. You know what? I'm sick of it." Lifting up Thymea, Harry waved it in front of him and a purple lightning bolt arched forward and struck Voldemort's homunculi form, forcing a scream from the small thing.

"I've waited three years to do this. Three years to finish my job and get to live my life again… but honestly? I have been waiting more to be able to tell you all of this. To reveal to you that no matter what you would have done this time, no matter how many plans you would have made… I would always have come out on top." Harry took a deep breath and seemed to relax a little, "So here we stand… just you and me. I'm sure you had imagined it all differently, that perhaps we were destined to meet in some great battle, to trade spells for hours as we tried to one-up one another and you would prove that you were the superior wizard. But that didn't happened, did it? No grand build up, no exciting schemes or great battles leading to our fate. No… just you, a weak little thing, and me… your superior in every form. Somehow it feels… anti-climatic… even for me."

_$How… how can you be so strong$_ Voldemort growled from the floor.

"I already told you… I was sent back. I'm a fourteen year old with the power and experience of a thirty-two year old wizard. I knew of your schemes and plans before you even thought them up." Harry's eyes suddenly seemed to shine a little, "Oh I have to know this!" he exclaimed, "Did you know that Bellatrix betrayed you? That she constantly worked against you from the inside? That she had planned, all along, that in case of her death, the Horcrux you had her guard in her vault would be passed on to Sirius and inform him to find and destroy the rest?"

Voldemort's eyes widened and Harry could see that he wanted nothing more than to explode with rage, but there was so little magic in that small form, just barely enough to keep him alive.

"Oh you didn't know? GREAT!" Harry roared with laughter.

"So… any last words, requests, or something? Before I end your miserable existence." Harry growled when his laughter died down.

_$The prophecy…$ _the homunculi tried weakly.

"Ahh yes," Harry said slowly, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…" Harry recited from memory before looking down at the small shaking form, Harry sneered, "Tripe, isn't it? "Power the Dark Lord knows not…" oh spare me. If I hadn't been explained what a Prophecy actually is… who knows what I might have taken it as."

_$No… I cannot be destroyed, I am Lord Voldemort! Greatest Wizard to have ever lived!$_

"No…" Harry said in a slightly morose tone, "You are Tom Marvolo Riddle, the son of Tom Marvolo Sr. and Merope Gaunt. A sad story about a child with potential for greatness, but fear of death turned him into a sniveling coward that tried his best to outrun that which can't be outrun. In the end, you are nothing more but a Half-Blood with delusions of grandeur." Harry looked upon the small form of Vold… Tom, and sighed deeply before transforming Thymea to wand form and pointing it between the eyes of the homunculi.

"And I'm tired of wasting time on you…"

_$No! I am Lord Voldemort, I am Imm..$_

"Avada Kedavra." The green beam flew forward and impacted the homunculi body, making it completely still. It just laid there, motionless, until suddenly it began dissolving into dust. Without any magic to sustain the form, of course it would crumble back into its baser ingredients.

Harry stood still for a moment, just soaking up the feeling of finally being free. It felt amazing, as if the world was finally opening up to him an allowing him to view it in all its glory. No longer would have to worry about a mad dark lord out for his blood, nor would he have to concern himself with Death Eaters and their mad plans to bring back their now dead lord.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed, as if it was the only thing he could do. He laughed long and hard, until his lungs gave out and he was left starving for breath.

With a little spring in his step, Harry walked outside the old Riddle Mansion and stared at it for a moment before leveling his want at the offending structure.

"Finite!" he intoned and the wards around the entire property collapsed in on themselves. Yes indeed, the greatest wards ever created could be removed with a simple _Finite_ spell. Of course it had to be Harry to cast it, but that was just a minor detail..

"**FIENDFYRE!**" The orange-black frame sprung from his wand and in moments had engulfed the entire house in its hellish inferno. He stood motionless and watched as the structure burned to the ground. When all there was left were ash, he smothered the Fiendfyre and watched as all there remained were burned ashes and embers.

Moments later an emerald lightning bolt streaked across the sky.

**-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-**

The great hall was buzzing with activity, everyone had seen how one of Hogwarts students had vanished in a bolt of emerald lightning and many from the two visiting schools had begun asking questions. Vanessa had run to the staff table and looked worriedly at Dumbledore, barely able to form a sentence. The old Headmaster was equally worried, trying to reach out he realized that he couldn't apparate to the manor… Harry had already begun his assault.

So all they could do was calm down everyone and then wait, wait and see what was going to happen. Something did indeed happen, Snape and Karkaroff both fell to the floor, screaming and grabbing their left arms in an attempt to stifle the burning sensation their Dark Marks were giving them. In fact, all over Wizarding Britain former Death Eaters were dropping and screaming as their Dark Marks began burning off their bodies.

The two wounded Wizards had been carried to the Infirmary as everyone was waiting in trepidation. Dumbledore had retreated to the small back room where he was pacing frantically. The sound of lighting had him running outside and back into the great hall just in time to see Harry appear, looking so peaceful that Dumbledore could have mistaken him for dead.

"Harry?" He said beneath a breath as he approached his young apprentice.

"It's done, Albus. He's gone, for good." Harry declared with a wide grin as he looked around for Vanessa. When he saw her, he ran up to her and grabbed her and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Gone?" Dumbledore muttered for a moment, as if the thought seemed alien… "Gone… He's gone! Hahaha!" Dumbledore roared with laughter and looked like he was ready to dance a jig.

"Albus! What is going on?!" Minerva yelled, effectively stopping all celebration from the three magicals.

"Ahem… well… perhaps this is a matter best brought up at the next staff meeting. For now, let us all get back to the feast!"

No one wanted to argue against that. Harry and Vanessa took their seats at the Ravenclaw table and enjoyed the feast, big smiles on their faces. Though Vanessa did get a little passive-aggressive whenever she spoke about how _someone_ had decided to go _alone_ to deal with their _shared problem_. Over the course of the feast, Harry and Vanessa got some time to meet Fleur. She was… different, not much, but rather than seemingly being permanently stuck to a high horse, she was a decent person and a good conversationalist.

As the feast came to an end, Harry and Vanessa joined Dumbledore in his office where the three celebrated quietly. Harry told them what had happened, even showed them the memory. Dumbledore was a little disappointed in him for not being more careful, but it was easily overshadowed by his relief over Tom's end. Vanessa was, in honesty, just a little miffed that she didn't get to go as she had hoped. Finally, as the two youngest magicals were preparing to head off for bed, Harry declared his intention to find a way into the afterlife one last time, if anything simply just so he could say "mission accomplished."

So the day after, Harry stood in front of the wall on the seventh floor once more. On the third pass, a white wooden door appeared and he stepped through without hesitation.

"Harry, welcome." The voice of John greeted him. He was in John's office, the exact same one he had been in when all of this began.

"Thank you, John. I'm guessing you know why I'm here?" Harry replied with a court nod as he took a seat in front of the desk.

"Of course. Voldemort is dead, his soul has returned to the afterlife, and I can, with good consciences, tell my boss that he can stop worrying about it."

"So… I'm free now, right? No more hunting souls, no more of your co-workers appearing in closets?"

"You're free, Mr. Potter. You have done your duty, and I will uphold my end of the bargain. When you leave this room, your life is your own and when you die… well… I'm sure your Goddess will tell you once that arrives."

"Oh… that's great." Harry looked a little curious as he spoke, "Say, John. Rose told me something when I met her, or rather I overheard her, she said that you fucked up when she found out that I was the Herald of my Goddess. What was that about?"

John gave a friendly smile, but Harry could see the twitch of his lip that signaled annoyance.

"Nothing for you to worry about. Merely a small bet going around and I might have opened my mouth a minute too soon."

"Ouch, what's the punishment for the loser?"

"I'd rather not say, Mr. Potter. But please, I'm sure you are anxious to get back to your life. If I may be so bold, what is your plan for the future?"

Harry looked a little puzzled at the question but smiled as he approached the door, as he grabbed the handle and opened it, he turned his head and said over his shoulder, "Living, long and well." With those words he vanished through the doors to live his life.

Fully, this time.

* * *

**A/N: Well… that does it. It's over, finished, nothing more to say. **

**I started this with a small idea. That then grew into this amalgamation of different plots that should never have been opened or touched upon. I finished what I felt needed to be finished, there will be a few more questions answered in the Epilogue, which will arrive in a few days' time. Other than that? I know this wasn't the ending a lot of you might have hoped for, it certainly wasn't the one I had originally envisioned, but things change, and that we cannot do anything about.**

**I do, however, wish to thank each and every one of you for sticking it out with me. For dealing with my ups and downs in quality, for my rampant disregard for keeping a consistent flow. Some of you have favorited and followed me, some of you even reviewed nearly every chapter. For that, I am you eternally grateful and I don't think I can ever say that enough. You all helped me work up the discipline to finish this, and kept me from just flat out saying "It's over," in one of the chapters and then leaving the story to die.**

**So yeah, with this now over, sans the epilogue, I've begun working on a new project. Okay, I've been working on that project for a while and it might be my next story. It's half-complete already, and it's a bit of a different type of story that I wanted your guys opinion on.**

**It's a Diary type story, you'll be reading Harry's diary alongside his Seventh Year self, as he reads through the musings of his younger self. Through these entries, you will learn of Harry and what he was like on those seven years… those seven years he spent in Hufflepuff and those seven years he didn't have to deal with Voldemort. It is, for now, titled "Seven normal years of Harry the Hufflepuff" and it is basically a small recounting of Harry's life, his friends and romances and just his general experiences with the story. It's currently set to finish at 70 Diary entries, with each entry covering a day. (Multiple entries would most likely make up a chapter.)**

**I do have another story in mind as well, it's a "Harry raised by Dragons" type deal. Much like in this story, Dragons will be far mightier and wiser, whereas the ones that would appear in year four is only Wyverns. If you guys are interested in that, let me know.**

**So yeah, one of those two stories will be the next thing I begin posting.**

**Once again, Thank you all so much for sticking with me and dealing with all the crap I did. You are all amazing and I hope to see you again, either on a different story of mine, or simply finding your voice as a fellow reviewer on another story on this site.**

**-TheLemonsWillSeeYou – soon'ish**


	35. Epilogue - Revised

**A/N: Okay, I just didn't like what I did with the last Epilogue, I know that most of you guys were a little apprehensive as well. So here is a rewritten, more detailed epilogue that has a few more details and an extended ending bit concerning Amorpha, James and how she was punished. Fair warning, it is slightly graphic in description but not overly much. (Still enough for that pesky M-rating thought.)**

**I hope you enjoy and I'll see you at the bottom note.**

* * *

With Voldemort finally defeated, for good this time, it felt very much like time began to slow to a crawl. It was a new feeling for Harry after everything that had happened in _both_ his lives. It had been so long since he had gone to bed and _felt_ like a whole day had passed him by instead of a whole week.

Of course he made full use of this.

There was a subtle part of him that took great enjoyment in watching the Champion selection this time around. Seeing the light in Krum and Fleur's eyes as they were chosen and walked off. Then, when Cedric was chosen, Harry was one of the people to cheer the loudest. This time, the friendly Hufflepuff Champion would not meet his end at the hands of a sniveling coward like Pettigrew.

Day to day, week to week, month to month, Harry watched the world around him as his life moved on. He showed up at every task and cheered for their Champion, while also subtly helping Cedric by dropping subtle hints about what he needed to prepare for. Cheating was, after all, as much a tradition as the weighing of the wands ceremony.

Then there was his schooling, and what he intended to do with it. Obviously he would continue his apprenticeship under Albus, there was much to learn from him yet, and he half expected the old man was grooming him to be his successor here at Hogwarts… honestly? Now it didn't sound so bad. But there was unfinished business at the school still. Namely in the shape of the two people he had originally planned to kill.

Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley.

Yet when he looked over to the Gryffindor table and stared at the two, he found that familiar feeling in his stomach. He didn't _feel like killing them_. Not because he didn't still hate them, oh no, he wouldn't help them if they were on fire and he held the last bucket of water on the planet. But he didn't feel the need to kill them anymore.

Of course he was still going to hurt them, oh hell yes they were going to suffer at least somewhat for what they both did.

Hermione… well she was the easiest one to figure out what to do with. She cherished her academic strength more than she had cherished anything else in her entire life. So that is what Harry would take from her, at least in one way.

Over the year, he slowly rose to the top of every class. He made a big show of upstaging Hermione at every turn. Whatever project she did, he did either bigger or better. For every answer she gave, he added something unto it that she had forgotten. It drove her to the very edge of her sanity as it was clear that Harry had just held back the last three years. But he wasn't done.

When he had overtaken every class, he turned his sights on Vanessa and tutored her through every class, used old forbidden spells to share knowledge between their minds, and in general done everything to make sure that when everything was said and done, Vanessa would be the second best student in the entire school. Granger would just have to _settle_ for third place. Even lower in some classes as the previous number two, Daphne Greengrass had been nabbing at the bookish Gryffindor's heels every year.

Hell, Harry had offered Greengrass a chance to study with him and Vanessa if she wanted to rip Granger apart even further. She had politely refused, she knew that with the work the two were doing, Granger would rip herself apart come the end of the year, leaving the number three spot ripe for the taking.

Slytherin through and through that one, Harry respected that.

Then, when their time at Hogwarts was up, he'd destroy her chance of ever working in the Magical World. A few well-placed words and money in the right hands, and the name Hermione Granger would mean disaster in the magical community. All in all, this was a much more fitting punishment for the annoying brunette. This way she suffered her entire life, not just the few moments it would take for Harry to grow bored of torturing her before killing her.

Then there was Ronald Bilius Weasley.

Harry didn't know what to do to the youngest male Weasley just yet. Mostly because after looking at him over the course of a month, it was clear that without Harry as his friend, Ronald was worth nothing in Gryffindor. He was a pariah for his insane views and bullying tendencies, not to mention his horrible manners at the dinner table. A few subtle inquires with Misters Gred and Forge let him know that little Ronnikens was also in the shitter back home, his lack luster grades and general laziness was grinding at both their parents.

This required a wait and see approach. Maybe Ron would destroy himself without Harry needing to interfere. He would be content just watching from the sidelines as the red-head tore his life asunder with his idiotic approach to everything.

So life went on for Harry at Hogwarts. Each year a little brighter than the former. His knowledge blossomed under the sharp tutelage of Dumbledore and by the time the seventh year rolled around, Harry and Vanessa were the only two real choices for Head Boy and Girl. They might have, _might have_, abused the private rooms they had been given with the positions just a tad.

Their graduation ceremony had been… normal. Like every year before it. And Harry wouldn't trade this for anything in the world. Just standing here, his hand in Vanessa's, smiling at the younger years as they prepared to depart Hogwarts for the final time today. He was… excited, more than he thought he would be. Now he would get to try out a life as a proper Wizard instead of a wanted man for the first ten years of his adult life.

Not one to break tradition, not when he finally got a chance to be a part of it, Harry and Vanessa both took the separate train for graduating seventh years and participated in the party to celebrate their entries into the Wizarding world. This was also where Harry got a good taste of Pureblood Politics for the first time. He wasn't a fan, that's for sure.

Daphne had found him during the party and asked what he was planning to do with the Potter seat on the Wizengamot. Of course he was going to take it up and spearhead some change in this stagnating society, but he couldn't very well reveal his plans to her this early, could he?

No, he couldn't.

So Harry dropped vague hints and spent a great deal of time discussing the future of the wizarding world with Daphne as she was the next heir to the Greengrass seat. The Greengrass family was an old one, almost as old as the Potters. If they worked together… there would be a lot of pull between them. Food for thought for the future.

Harry practically jumped off the train at Kings Cross and embraced his godfather in a manly hug as the two laughed. It was all finally fucking over, now they could just enjoy being a family again. Of course that now also included a certain Bellatrix Black. She was with Sirius on the platform. Her and Harry's hug was more muted, but Harry was looking forward to getting to know this Bellatrix. It had taken Sirius a few years to push through the bill that allowed Azkaban residents a second chance at redemption, though they needed a family member to vouch for them and grant them shelter while they were out. And as many men would tell you, freedom had done Bellatrix a world of good.

Harry would probably never admit it publicly, but as the years rolled on, Bellatrix became the mother figure he never had in his life. When he was lost or needed guidance that his godfather couldn't provide him, he went to her. Bellatrix was always ready to help, and she had _no problems_ with publicly referring to Harry as the son she never got to have. Much to Harry's embarrassment and hidden joy.

Then came the post Hogwarts years. There was one word that described it all perfectly for him… _amazing_. With his apprenticeship under Dumbledore still standing strong, the two became a force of nature in the Wizengamot and just in their world in general. They reworked the entirety of the Hogwarts curriculum, bringing back long forgotten classes like Enchanting and Fencing, much to the joy of many a Pureblood who could remember their days of youth where Fencing was a lesson much enjoyed by them.

Their greatest achievement though was their inclusion of what the ministry labeled as "beasts" into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the year 2002 the first non-human student set foot, or hoof as it was, in Hogwarts. A young Centaur from the clan in the forbidden forest had joined them, and she looked to be one of the greatest students to pass through for many years. The years after would see more join, the first Goblin was in 2005, the first Harpy in 2006, the first full Veela (with some heavy, _heavy_ training in control) in 2007 and in 2008 the first open Werewolf attended.

Of course there was one other major event in 2002, namely the marriage of one Harry James Potter and Vanessa Weaver. It wasn't the biggest of ceremonies, much to the pleasure of both parties. In a small magical forest, they had found a clearing where they had set up a tent for the reception and party, and near the edge of the clearing stood a white arc decorated with flowers. What little family that had was present, with Sirius standing as Harry's best man and Luna, sweet dear little Luna, stood right behind Vanessa with the biggest grin on her face Harry had ever seen. Dumbledore had near demanded to be the one to wed his two favorite students, surprising both of them that he was even allowed to. Their "Yes"es had been near a whisper, but everyone heard it and cheered when Dumbledore pronounced them husband and wife.

The reception afterwards was filled with moving speeches and any and all embarrassing story that Sirius could remember about baby Harry. Of course Harry also held a speech, a speech where he thanked everyone for all they had done for him over the years and how he was looking forward to knowing all of them for many more. This was when Vanessa had interrupted her husband and stood up.

"As many of you know, I have always had a… knack… for surprising my husband here," a ripple of laughter spread, oh if that wasn't the truth, "So why wouldn't I have one more for him today?" There was plenty of catcalls and wolf-whistling at that, mostly from Sirius, as Vanessa removed a small box from under the table and placed it in front of her Husband.

"I know you have all brought some amazing gifts, but I got a feeling that I might win with this one." Vanessa said cheekily as she struck a small pose to the laughter of the audience.

A quick kiss to his wife and Harry was slowly opening the small box. The baby blue ribbon was gently removed and placed aside, the lit gave a small pop as it came off and the treasure within. Harry pulled out the smallest set of shoes he had ever seen, they were a striking sky blue color, and he was halfway into a laugh when it turned into a muffled sob as tears fell from his eyes. In the years to come, Harry would refuse it fiercely, but he had cried for all but a moment, then collapsed in on himself like a doll with his strings cut. The previously stunned audience had come back to life when Sirius had begun roaring with laughter, proclaiming his new goddaughter-in-law to be a true Marauder.

It was the 21st of August 2003, that little James Potter-Weaver came into the world, crying and screaming at the top of his lungs. He was named for his grandfather. To carry on his spirit. Sirius was asked to be his Godfather and the older Wizard had only just stopped sniffling long enough to accept before engulfing his godson in a hug. James Potter-Weaver would go on to become just as energetic as his mother, something Harry claimed would lead to his prematurely graying hair.

The 8th of November 2010 would forever be known as a day of mourning to the Wizarding World. It was on that day that one of the greatest heroes, inspirations and teachers that anyone had ever known, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbleodre, had passed away silently in his sleep. He was found, perhaps by a twist of fate, by Harry when his friend hadn't showed up for their usual meeting. Harry had found the old Headmaster looking more serene than ever before, a vague little smile on his face as if he had just pulled the greatest prank on everyone.

On his office desk laid a note addressed to one "Harry James Potter, my friend and greatest student."

_I move on now to my next great adventure and to rejoin my loved ones. I will not have you sitting around and moping my passing, Harry, and neither do I wish for the world to do the same. Mourn not my death, but celebrate my life, this is my last wish. And to you, Harry, I leave a little something in my desk that I think you will find most excellent, as well as a few parting words –Albus Dumbledore._

_Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!_

The announcement had been made as public as possible, much to the growing sadness amongst the world's residents. Those who had had the honor of meeting the man knew that he had passed on his terms, else death would have had a fight on his hands. So they all did what he asked and partied, long out into the night and onto the next day did the parties go.

The funeral would go down in history. Witches and Wizards from all over the world came to Hogwarts to help honor one of the greatest men they had ever known. His grave was neither grand nor ornate, it was a simple white stone coffin that Professor McGonagall had created in accordance with Albus will. "One last time I must ask you to assist me, dear Minerva." Those were his words and McGonagall had done it gladly with a sorrowful smile.

Harry stood as his student, the honor of the eulogy had been his, again in accordance with the will. This was a time that Harry would not hide that he cried, because much everyone else did too. He spoke of the man he knew, and the amazing teacher that he had observed. They had lost a great man, but he left behind a legacy that would never be forgotten.

As for the gift Harry had been left?

It was an egg, red and charred. Harry recognized it as a Phoenix egg. So Fawkes had been a female this entire time? Harry wondered how Albus had reacted to that particular little fact after years of referring to Fawkes as "him" … it was an amusing thought. The egg had burst into flames when he touched it and a small phoenix hatchling had stared up at him and begun to sing… now he had his own companion to grow senile with in this office.

In the end, Albus was proven right. Filius Flitwick decided that with the death of his greatest friend, his time as a teacher would come to a close. He had spent the last few years grooming a successor, much like Albus had done, and she was more than ready to take over after him. So it came to be that Vanessa Potter-Weaver became that newest Charms teacher at Hogwarts, as well as the head of Ravenclaw House.

Harry had joined his wife at Hogwarts not long after, the position of Headmaster had been left open for him, once again in asking by Albus through his will. His one final trick was to ensure that Hogwarts was left in the best hands possible. And wouldn't you know it, Harry had, as a joke, asked McGonagall if she also wished to retire. Never before had Harry seen so many stinging hexes in such a short amount of time. No one opposed his placing as Headmaster, the Boy-Who-Lived teaching the next generation? What a PR dream!

Of course life also has its dark spots. This was only painfully obvious as 2014 crept around and Harry, alongside Vanessa, took to quiet deliberation on what the future would hold for their son. Harry knew that he would have to hand him over to Amorpha soon, and he would also free the little rascal moments after, but he still feared what the woman could do this his sons mind in the time they had together.

So they had sat James down and spoke to him. Everything Harry knew about the Dark Elven lands was imparted in his young son while his mother repeatedly told him to be careful and watch out for himself. Harry had taken his son aside for a day and come clean with his past with the Dark Elves and why it was that James had to leave in the first place, though the details about what Amorpha had done was left out… for now. Safe to say the kid hadn't been pleased, but he was his father's son so he understood and would honor the agreement.

So it was that on the day 21st of August 2014, James' birthday, that Harry took his son by the hand and apparated both of them to the Dark Elven lands. They had landed in the forests surrounding the capital and walked the rest of the way. At the entrance of the city stood hundreds of guards, waiting for their future king. Each knelt as they passed, wordlessly offering up their loyalty to the one whom would marry their Queen. Harry had spoken with Drulel over the years and picked the Dark Elf's brain on whom they could trust within the city, it was scarily few.

They reached the grand Citadel and surprisingly it was Harry that needed a moment to collect himself. The last time he had been here… it hadn't been pretty and he was still angry. There was even a chance that if Amorpha spoke out of line, he might actually end up physically hurting her.

She was waiting for them when they entered. She was smiling kindly at the younger Potter, so happy to finally being able to see her future husband in the flesh rather than through hazy visions of the future. Her greeting was… respectable, as much as she could handle anyway, towards Harry. She had stuck with a handshake with her future husband in fear of retribution from Harry if he had done anything else.

As for what happened next? It was never, and never will be, a secret that Harry took the utmost pleasure in what transpired.

He turned to leave, giving his son a final hug and kiss on the forehead, promising him that they would speak again soon and that he should take care of himself. Then, just as he reached the door, he snapped his fingers and loudly exclaimed that he _knew_ there was something he had forgotten. In one smooth motion, he turned and flicked an envelope into his son's hands, the younger Potter stared at it and grinned, it was his Hogwarts letter.

Amorpha's face consorted into one of primal rage as realization slammed home with her. Harry filed it away mentally for future viewing on a rainy day. An even better expression replaced it moments later and Harry had to fight not to laugh. The Queen had gone ashen as she came to the starting realization of what the Herald had just done to her. Now she knew, she understood just how her husband would also be part of her punishment.

Harry had vanished with a pop after that, telling his son that they would see each other again soon enough.

And so they did. The 1st of September 2014, James Potter-Weaver walked into the Great Hall of Hogwarts for the first time as a student. He was grinning and waving at both his parents sitting at the Teacher's table and smiling at him. That day he had been sorted into Ravenclaw, and so seven years began and seemingly ended within the blink of an eye.

It was… a disturbing thing for the two parents. To witness their son all through the year as he excelled at school and made friends, laughed and played. Only for him to vanish when summer came around to go back to place where neither of them could protect him if anything went bad. They both remembered the day he had returned from that first summer, they feared that their greatest horror had come to pass. The way James carried himself after that first summer was… different. He behaved more like a warrior than a child, much to the fury of Harry. That night, they had dragged their son to their shared chambers and demanded an explanation.

Thank Merlin he was still their son. He was still happy-go-lucky and a ball of energy. But after a full summer with the Military Enclave he had learned to stuff it away for when he had to meet important people. Now it was just a matter of skewing the habit until he returned to that place at the end of the year.

Their boy had one hell of a rollercoaster of a schooling. Every year James managed to get himself into some sort of situation. His father came to the startling realization that this was how he must have looked when he was first a child. It was amusing to watch his son maneuver the social scene when he was, for all intents and purposes, already married to someone.

It was sometime during James fifth year that Harry had to accept the fact that his son was sleeping with Amorpha. It made him… sick, very much so even, at the idea of it. He would never forgive her for what she did to Vanessa, and to this day he was waiting for his chance to punish her. Her death… it would be the slowest one he had ever caused, and he was going to enjoy thoroughly.

As the seventh year of his sons schooling began turning towards its end, Harry and Vanessa brought him to the roof where Harry had met his Goddess all those years ago. Then the hardest two hours of their lives had begun. They had explained everything in painstaking detail to their boy, everything his wife had done to them and just how much they well and truly hated her.

It hurt James to hear it, even more so since he could hear the truth in their words and knew that it wasn't a lie. He couldn't reconcile the two images in his mind, the one that his parents had just given him, and the loving caring wife that he had gotten to know over the past seven years. She had waited for him, patiently, every year and when he had returned for the summers she had done her utmost to always make him comfortable and make sure that he was happy. Then, when they had begun sleeping together, James had slowly let the idea of remaining with her for the rest of his life settle into his mind, and he had actually liked the idea.

But now?

Part of him was calling for the head of his wife to be placed on a pike and paraded around the capital for all to see. But he also knew about their laws, he knew that what Amorpha had done hadn't crossed any Dark Elven lines, only human ones. Lines that James had tried to make Amorpha follow as well. He had looked pleadingly at his parents, silently begging them to somehow free him from this terror. Vanessa had kissed his forehead and then left silently, the memories were getting too much for her.

His dad stuck with him and they talked. Just talked. James spilled his heart, his confusion and doubts, in the vague hope that his father had the answer. He hadn't. But knew someone who might.

James would always remember the first time he met the Goddess here on this roof, how she descended from the stars and joined them. She had taken him away, embraced him and carried him into the heavens. She had spoken with him, revealed him to the grand tapestry of time and promised him that he could leave once his future daughter was ready to take the throne from her mother. He had refused, he would stay with his future daughter and guide her. He had asked about Amorpha and what was to happen to her. The Goddess had revealed that despite Harry's wishes, it was on James's shoulders to decide that was to happen to her.

It hadn't soothed him, but he had thanked her none the less. She had promised that they would meet again on the day of his daughter's coronation and then they would speak further about what was to happen with his wife.

A week after that night, James graduated with honors from Hogwarts and was preparing himself to return to the Dark Elven kingdom. It had hurt to say goodbye to his parents once again, and this time he knew that it wouldn't just be a few short months before they saw one another again, it might very well take years for that to happen.

That turned out to be true. Two years passed with silence from the Dark Elven domain. Harry was too scared to go there, he feared to meet his son and face down what he had potentially become. Vanessa didn't wish to go, she refused to ever lay eyes on Amorpha again unless it was to spit on her still warm corpse. But then a silver owl had flown through their window, carrying a letter from their boy. James wanted them to come, to see his daughter and to let her meet her grandparents. They had fought over it at first, both arguing that they should and shouldn't go. In the end, the wish to see both their son and granddaughter had won over.

They were met by a battalion of guards, all bowing to their Herald. They had been guided inside the royal nursey and met their son. The embrace had been like medicine for Vanessa. Two years without seeing her baby had been harsh on her, but being able to hug him again sent it all away again. Harry had subtly inquired about Amorpha and James had told him that he had ordered her to stay away for the duration of their visit, he didn't want them to fight in front of the little one.

Speaking of the princess. Vanessa had been wrapped around her pinky from the moment that little bundle had hit her arms. Defying every case in history, the princess had one red eye like her mother, but also the same stunning emerald that both her father and grandfather had in the other. Proof that part of her would always be human. The family had enjoyed the day together and getting to know their grandchild. They had left with the promise that she would be allowed to visit them in the human world on occasion. Of course it wasn't always with her parents' permission that the little princess snuck away from her realm and found her way to her grandparents' home… and the cookie jar they hid there.

Each time she showed up, Harry sent a silent thanks to his Goddess for protecting the little one as she had stumbled her way over. He never got a verbal reply, but he knew that it was her protecting the little one.

It was many years later that Harry had come rushing home, panting and sweating. Vanessa had been worried until Harry had told her what had happened. Their granddaughter was now the Queen of the Dark Elves, she had apparently bested Amorpha in a Trial of Combat for the throne. Vanessa had been ecstatic, thinking that Amorpha was dead finally. Though that didn't last long when Harry told her what their son had told him.

Amorpha was still alive, and she was being punished now for her misdeeds. It grated a little at Vanessa that the bitch had survived. Months later, she realized that her son was living up to what he had promised. They had gotten a… gift… from him. The letter had told them to open it privately and warned them that the gift was messy.

It was Amorpha's ears. They had been cut off at the base, and it was clear that it had been painful. At least if one was to believe that messy way the cut looked. It somehow disturbed them that their son could have done this. But they didn't know just how much he had changed in the years leading up to his daughter taking the throne. Every so often they would get a letter from their son and one time there was a picture with it. Harry had looked at it once and vowed to never look at it again, lest he not be able to retain his lunch that time. The picture had been of what remained of Amorpha.

She was chained to a wall, cuts and bruises all over her body, or what remained of it. Fingers, toes, ears, part of her nose and breasts. She had been cut to pieces, and yet it was still obvious that she was alive. Their son had kept her that way. Vanessa had also seen the image, she hadn't laughed, cried nor smiled. She had instead sent a letter to their son that downright demanded his presence.

He had shown up confused, only to be consumed by a hug with his mother whispering comforting words in his ear. Words of how she wanted him to stop. He was ripping his soul apart piece by piece for each thing he did more to Amorpha. James had been confused, wasn't it was she had wanted? When he had asked, Vanessa admitted that it was… satisfying to see the image, to know that the bitch was being punished for what she did to her, but she couldn't stand to see what it had done to her little boy. Harry had agreed, James's eyes were dead and devoid of life. Both of them had requested that he stopped, just stopped and began looking after his little girl again.

James had promised them that he would before leaving. He had also said that they were both invited to dinner in the royal palace sometime this month. Of course they agreed. Any excuse to see their granddaughter again.

He had barely left when Harry had held Vanessa close to him and promised that their son wasn't lost yet. But he was their son, and they had both proven that they were just as bloodthirsty as he was proving to be. They had gone to bed that night, holding one another and dreamed of the future now that their worries about Amorpha could begin to heal.

**Deep within the Dungeons of the Royal Citadel**

James walked with determined steps through the stone corridors. Opening the familiar oak door, he stepped inside the cell of his wife and stared at her hanging on the wall. Most of her body had begun regenerating once again. The royal magic was strong in her despite no longer being queen. A month or two and she would be without a single scar again.

"Here to harm me some more, dear husband?" Amorpha's voice was hoarse from disuse.

"Not today. I came to tell you that my parents wanted me to stop this. They think they I'm destroying my soul by torturing you." James explained as he drew over a worn out chair and sat before his wife.

Amorpha lifted her face and grinned, a morbid sight with what she was missing.

"Are you?" she teased.

"No." he said with finality. "Your punishment isn't over, and it won't be for at least another fifty years."

Amorpha's face dropped again and she fell limp in her chains. For that one brief moment she had dreamed that she would be free from these shackles again and be able to embrace her husband. She turned on him again, eyes filled with the one thing that brought conflict to James heart.

"Why do you still love me?" He pleaded as he rested his elbows on his thighs. "I have torn you apart over and over again, brought you to edge of hell and rubbed your face in the ashes. You have screamed for mercy more than anyone, and yet you still look at me with those eyes…why?"

"I love you. What is there to explain? I waited for hundreds of years for you, now, finally, I have you. Though you have hurt me and tried to make me hate you, I will endure it so I may hold you again in the future. So that I may see our girl again." Amorpha explained softly.

James flinched at the mention of their girl. He hadn't let them see each other since Amorpha was placed down here. Mostly for his sake. He didn't wish his daughter to see just what he was capable off, and he didn't want her to see her mother like this, to tarnish the image of perfection she knew her mother to be.

Drawing a deep breath, James spoke again, "Despite my best attempts, despite having done all of this to you, despite the roaring hatred I feel for you so deep in my soul… I still love you as well."

He chose not to look at her, he couldn't handle the expression she must be showing. And indeed Amorpha had a smile on her lips, it was small and almost unnoticed, but it was filled with hope. Hope that there might actually be a future for her still.

"In fifty years, I'll free you from those shackles. If, by then, we still somehow still love one another, I'll let you back into our daughters and my life. We'll try again, see if we can't make it work like it did when I was still at Hogwarts." He explained, his voice betraying the hope he too felt.

"Best not tell your parents?" Amorpha joked, having acquired a bit of a humorous side since being chained.

"No, best not." James replied with a grin and finally looked at her again.

They would try when he felt her punishment was sufficient. She had hurt his mother; she would pay for that. But he also loved her, so they would try again. He just hoped that his mother and father would forgive him when they find out what he plans to do.

But honestly? Now, now he was just waiting so he could take another trip around the bend with his wife.

* * *

**A/N: Right, so I'm sure that a ton of you STILL won't be happy with what happened to Amorpha. Honestly, this is what I decided on, years of torture at the hands of the man she loves. It was one of the worst things I could ever imagine happening to anyone. To those wondering if James is insane for still loving her? Hell yes he is. That boy has had his mind so royally fucked over and over again that it is a miracle that he is still hasn't cracked. Probably his daughter keeping him grounded.**

**But yeah, this was a revised ending to fill in some more gaps and this way I also feel better about the ending of this story. No way in hell did it end the way I felt it needed, but I also didn't feel like forcing out 60+ chapters to properly fill out the missing stories I had started in this mess of a tale.**

**Best of the best to the lot of you,  
-TheLemonsWillSeeYou**

**PS: I am working on the Harry Dragon story… I'm at 3 chapters so far, and I'll start releasing when I hit 10. So yeah, a few more months.**


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